


Bookmarks

by Koalolive



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Asexual Reader, Demisexual Mettaton, Demisexual Reader, First Meetings, Fluff, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Gender-neutral Reader, Minor Alphys/Undyne, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Second Person, Post-Pacifist Route, Romance, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-18
Updated: 2017-02-08
Packaged: 2018-05-02 06:06:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 43
Words: 118,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5237189
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Koalolive/pseuds/Koalolive
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"'What’s wrong, honey? Cat got your tongue?' He asked.<br/>'O-Oh …' your speech faltering 'W-Well I’m just used to seeing you look more like a … uh … calculator?'"</p><p>About two years after the barrier fell to pieces, you somehow wind up falling in love with the robot who took the overground by storm. Initially meeting in the library where you work, your feelings of infatuation quickly turn into feelings that you weren't really able to understand.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Overwhelmed

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there, so, this is the first fanfiction i've written in about four or so years, but please don't let that stop you from reading it. I would really appreciate the feedback.  
> Recently getting into the Undertale fandom, and somehow finding myself reading fanfiction again after almost four years, I was kinda disappointed to what I came to find of the Mettaton/Reader fics.  
> At the time of writing this, practically 80% of the fics, if not more, are one-shot fics, as well as, reduce Mettaton to just sex. Yes, he is very attractive, and I'm not saying that sex is bad, but being a person on the Asexual spectrum, I'm personally not always into reading a fanfic that reduces a character to a one shot smut fic. A lot of people see an innocent character like Papyrus and atomically are able to put him a 20+ chapter fluff fic, but then, seeing a flamboyant, glitzy robot, and not even thinking about his potential in a fluff fic.
> 
> So, tl;dr, I couldn't find the content I wanted, so I wrote it myself.

   It was a Wednesday night around six or so, a slow evening for the local library where you work. Between six and nine in the evening were usually the slowest, probably because it was around dinner time, as well as the fact that no one in that part of the city really went to the library at eight p.m. on a Wednesday night. You sat at the checkout desk, that doubled as a help desk, glancing around the room to make sure everything was alright. And it was. A few patrons were scattered about, monsters and humans alike, reading books, and browsing on the few computers. Even a couple monster and human children were playing in the small kid’s area. You smiled softly to yourself, thinking about how much has changed since the barrier was severed a short few years ago. Monsters had made their way, slowly into the overground and you couldn’t be happier about how smooth the transition was. Well, how smooth it was for your city anyway.

   The library was a fair size, consisting of what was basically one big room, but it had several different areas, separated only by waist high room dividers. You stood up from the desk and pulled out a bell from one of the desk’s drawers, placing it on the desk with a small sign that read ‘Ring bell for help’. Since the library was just one big room, the bell could be heard from anywhere. You made sure that all of today’s returns were on a small cart off to the side, then proceeded to make your way to the kids area to put the few books back in their rightful place. As you placed one back in its spot, you felt a tug at the bottom of your shirt.

   A small bunny monster handed you a piece of paper. “Can you put this on the wall for me?” they asked.

   You looked down at the paper, on it, was a scribbly drawing of the bunny monster, holding hands with their human friend. You glanced up from the paper to see the bunny child hugging their human friend, with their ears.

   “We’re gonna be best friends forever.” The human child giggled quietly, nuzzling noses with the bunny.

   Smiling, you put the drawing up with about ten or so other drawings of monster and human children on a cork board in the kids area. “Well then, I hope the two of you have a happy forever.” You replied as you patted each of their heads.

   The two monsters giggled as they went back to coloring, and you pushed the cart to another area of the library.

   After about 15 or so minutes, you heard a small ding from the front desk. You left the cart where it was and made your way down the tall aisle of books you were in, but not before you heard the bell ding at least 10 more times. As you exited the the aisle, you heard almost the entire library shush the tall figure standing at the desk, who turned on their heel and loudly apologized.

   “Oh my darlings, please forgive me for that rude interruption, carry on to your reading and what not.”

   A few people gasped in awe and rushed over to the person, and you were confused for a moment, not sure what was going on as you made your way to the desk. The voice sounded very familiar to you, but you couldn’t quite place it. Once you got to the desk, it hit you like a brick, it was Mettaton, like, THE Mettaton, the very robot who took the overground by storm once the barrier was shattered. You remembered on his show a couple days ago, he mentioned he was going to be getting a complete makeover, so you assumed this was it. Unfortunately, you had missed last night’s episode due to having to stay late at the library, so he must have unveiled it then.

   Once the small group of people left, he turned on his heel to face you, smiling sweetly, “Good evening, hun, I’m here to pick up some books for my dear friend, Dr. Alphys.” he said in a low voice.

   You nodded. Ah yes, Alphys. She was a frequent to the library, taking out a handful of physics and other science type books, as well as up to hundreds of different types of manga. This week, it was one single molecular physics book, and 16 volumes of Fruity Baskets. You went over to the bookshelf where all of the books on hold were kept and took two trips to bring the books over. You glanced up at the tall robot peering down at you, he must have been a foot, if not more, taller than you. His eyelashes, of the eye his hair wasn’t covering, fluttered. “U-Um…” You stammer. “D-Do you have a library card, o-or maybe an ID?” You ask.

   You actually weren’t supposed to check out books to the person who didn’t initially put them on hold, but you knew that Mettaton was very close with Alphys. Every once in awhile she would take Mettaton with her to the library, but he was always on his phone or talking to her, he never actually paid you any attention. So, this wasn’t actually the first time you’ve seen him in person, but it was the first time he’d ever actually talked directly to you.

   Mettaton held out a library card to you, holding it between his index and middle finger. “Right here, darling.”

   You meekly took the card, feeling a bit of heat rising to your cheeks. You scanned it and began to scan the books into the system, glancing up at him every couple of moments. This new form of Mettaton, you had to admit, was very attractive, and you were never the best at small talk, so you let the awkward silence take the reigns.That is, until Mettaton decided to speak.

   “What’s wrong, honey? Cat got your tongue?” He asked.

   “O-Oh …” your speech faltering “W-Well I’m just used to seeing you look more like a … uh … calculator?”

   Upon your response, Mettaton erupts into laughter, immediately being shushed by the patrons of the library, again. “Sorry, sorry!” He apologized to the room. He turned back to you, tucked his long bangs that covered his right eye behind his ear, and leaned down, putting his elbows on the the desk and resting his chin on his hands. “Well, you’re not wrong, darling, but I just loooove this body, and getting to show it off makes me feel so good. And besides, we wouldn’t want Alphys’ good work to go to waste, now would we?” He finished with a wink.

   A wave of heat flooded your cheeks, your face was probably a deep shade of crimson. “R-R-Right.” You stammered, then proceeded to break eye contact and look down, scanning the rest of the books.

   You heard a soft, sweet giggle and glanced up, Mettaton was smirking. “Oh, sweetie, there is absolutely nothing to be embarrassed about, unless, you want me to make you embarrassed about something.”

   If it was even possible for your face to get any hotter, someone could have been tanning underneath you, and contracted second degree burns. As quickly as you could, you finished scanning all the books, printed the slip with the return dates, and pushed the two stacks toward him. “N-No no t-that’s okay enjoy your books have a nice day.” You replied quickly, not taking a pause in between words, as your eyes stayed glued to the desk.

   Mettaton stood up straight, his hair fell back into his face, and he erupted with laughter once more. For the third time in less than 15 minutes, he was shushed. He apologized again to the room, looked back in your direction and asked, “May have the library card back, please?”

   “O-Oh my gosh, I-I’m so sorry.” you stuttered, handed back the card, and finally looked back up to him.

   He took it from you, and your fingers brushed with his. “It’s alright, don’t be so flustered, darling.”

   “W-Would you like a bag? To um, carry all of these books?"

   “That would be just lovely, my sweet. I wasn’t anticipating Alphys taking out so many books, then again, she is a bit unpredictable at times.” He replied with a chuckle.

   You opened up a different drawer in the desk, above the one you took the bell from, and took out two plastic bags, then placed the two stacks of books into their own bags. “There, all set.”

   “Thank you so much for all your help, sweetie.” The robot replied with a broad smile, “Well, it’s been a pleasure, but I must be off, I have a show in…” He glanced up at the clock hanging on the wall behind you “... less than an hour. I hope you’ll be tuning in.” he finished, with what might have been a wink but you weren’t able to tell due to the hair covering half his face. For all you know he could have just been blinking.

   Not sure how to reply, you were just able to nod, but he was already on his way toward the door, holding both bags in a single hand, he waved goodbye over his shoulder with the other, not turning back. “Toodaloo.”

   Waiting a moment after he left, you took a deep breath and fanned your face with a hand. Wowie, was that an interaction. You shook your head quickly and tried to remember what you were even doing before Mettaton showed up. Once you figured it out, you made your way back to the bookshelf you were returning books to, and tried to forget about that whole interaction, because if you thought about it anymore, you weren’t sure if you’d be able to concentrate for the rest of the night.

~~~

   You returned home later that evening at about a quarter to ten. Part of you wished that you could have left earlier to watch Mettaton’s show at his request, but you shook your head. Why? Why did you keep thinking about him? Just because he wasn’t a rectangle anymore? Were you suddenly attracted to this new body of his? No, no, of course not. You had to be honest with yourself, you were actually attracted to the flamboyant robot before your first meeting. Yeah, the calculator. You watched the premiere his show when you first heard about him, curious about a robot from the underground, and you actually thought it was pretty good. His flamboyant personality got you, you were amused by it, but what really got you, the thing that made you like him the most, was his voice. Never able to understand why, you were always more attracted to voices than you were to physical appearances. Mettaton's voice was like a song whenever you heard it, even if he was saying the most minute things.

   Realizing you were literally just standing in the middle of your small studio apartment, thinking about Mettaton, you groaned. You made your way over to your small kitchen, and turned the TV on as you passed. Reaching the kitchen, you opened the fridge and pulled out a container of leftover takeout from the night before, but that was when a voice left the speakers of your television, “Good evening, ladies, gentlemen, and every beautiful configuration in between!” Caught off guard, you dropped the container onto the floor and rushed to the TV to turn it off, you couldn’t stand this anymore, the universe was taunting you, and you wished you could punch it in the face. You made your way back over to the container you dropped on the floor, it was still closed, the food still inside. You sighed in relief, decided to eat your leftovers quickly, and just head to bed early.


	2. Headache

   The Tuesday morning of the following week, you woke up actually feeling refreshed from your nights sleep. As you sat up, you yawned and stretched your arms over your head. Sliding your blanket to the side, you climbed out of bed and headed to the bathroom. You yawned again as you attended to your morning business, washing your hands, and brushing your teeth. When done with the bathroom, you made your way over to the small kitchen and looked through the cabinets for something to eat for breakfast. You decided a bowl of cereal would be fine and prepared it as you picked up the remote for your TV, that was sitting on the counter, and pointed it at the screen. You carried your bowl over to your couch in front of the television and sat down with it as you surfed the channels. Nothing really good was on so you just went to your city's local news station and tuned into the ten o'clock news that had started a little while ago. You ate your bowl of cereal as you didn't really pay attention to the news, that is until they showed the weather forecast for today. Despite it being the second week of November, it was going to be a warm day. You pouted. It was fall, where is the cold weather? Ideally all you wanted to do was curl up by a toasty fire and drink hot cocoa, but alas, you lived in a fourth floor studio apartment and there was not a fireplace to be found.

   Pulling from your thoughts and tuning back into the news, the hosts began to talk about monsters and the underground. They went on and on about how great the integration between monsters and humans was going, and you smiled to yourself. Your mind began to wander again, thinking about monsters and the love they brought with them from the underground. As your thoughts trailed, you suddenly thought of _him_ , Mettaton. You wondered if he’d stop by the library any time soon. There are some books from about two or so weeks ago that are due from Alphys, maybe he’d go with her to return them, or even return them himself. You shook your head quickly, to get the thoughts out of your head. He was a celebrity, he didn't have extra time to go to libraries.

~~~

   Your commute to wasn’t bad at all, it was literally just a 15 minute walk, practically in a straight line, from your apartment to the library, so you always got there right on time. As you walked in, you saw your boss, an older woman, sitting at the front desk. Her name was Winifred, but preferred to be called Winnie.

   “Oh, good afternoon.” she said softly.

   “Afternoon.” You smiled, waved, and made your way around the front desk, setting your backpack down against the wall beside the shelving unit where the books on hold were kept. Besides you and your boss, you only had two other co-workers, a part time high school student, and a middle aged monster, so, your boss didn’t see the need for an actual machine that punched in hours, so, there was just a paper on top of the bookshelf where you wrote your name and the time you came in. You did just that, writing ‘2 p.m.’ and walked over to Winnie as she remained sitting at the desk.

   “How was your morning, dear?” She asked.

   “Actually, I woke up rather refreshed this morning, it was really nice.” You replied with a calm smile, then proceeded to ask, “When are you working till today?”

   “Until three thirty, I have a doctor's appointment, you can handle lock up, can’t you?”

   You had started working part time for her when you started college, and a year and a half ago, upon graduating, she took you on full time. You had been able to handle lock up since then, but Winnie always asked to make sure you were okay doing it. She was mainly wary to the fact in the winter, when daylight savings was in effect, it got darker so much sooner, and she was always worried about you getting home safe.

   “Of course, is everything alright though?” You asked.

   She nodded in response. “Just a physical.”

   You silently exhaled in relief, you weren’t sure you would have been able to handle it, if anything was wrong. You’d grown very attached to her within the almost six years you had spent together.

   “I may be old, but I’m not dying.” she said with a soft chuckle.

   You smiled a bit, “So, what’s on my list of major duties for today?” you asked.

   “Oh, well.” She opened the top desk drawer and pulled out a note. Putting her readers on, that were hanging from her neck by a necklace, she read it to you. “Just your normal duties like scanning and putting returns away, helping anyone that needs it, etcetera.” she read off, glancing up at you, “But while I’m here, I’d like you to gather the returns from the return bin outside. My back was bothering me this morning so I didn’t get a chance to do it.”

   You nodded. “Of course, of course.”

   “Also, I mentioned this to you a couple weeks ago, I wanted to know if you would like to paint a winter themed mural for the window? I’d pay you a commission fee of course."

   Right, you forgot that she mentioned that. A year and a half ago, you graduated college, art college, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration. Aside from working full time at the library, you were also a freelance illustrator, trying to make a name for yourself. You hadn’t made all that much progress yet, but you were getting there.

   As you opened your mouth to reply, the door of the library opened and a rather large group of monster and human children flooded the library, all between the ages of 6 and 12. They were followed in by a goat-like monster, who was holding a large bag. You smiled, it was Toriel.

   Toriel shushed the rowdy children and they calmed instantly, “Now now, my children, I’d like you all to pick out two books today, alright? One about what we learned today in class, and one for your enjoyment.”

   In unison the children replied, “Yes, Miss Toriel.”

   Toriel gave the kids the okay to disperse, and with surprising silence, they did. Toriel then made her way over to the front desk where Winnie and you were.

   “Good afternoon, Toriel.” you smiled.

   Toriel was the nicest monster you ever met, yeah, most of them were pretty nice, but Toriel was _literally_ the nicest. She was the monster to establish the first monster elementary school in your city, and after only a few short months, she started accepting human children. She treated each child as if they were her own, and one of them was actually her adopted child, Frisk. Frisk was the legendary child who was the last human to fall into the underground, and helped shatter the barrier, as well as the child ambassador between human and monster relations. you were really proud of them.

   Toriel smiled, set down the bag she was carrying, and wrapped you in a big hug, “Hello, my child.” she said warmly.

   You smiled and hugged her back, she always gave the best hugs.

   Each of you let go and she greeted Winnie, then picked up the bag she had set down. “I have all of the children's’ books that are due.”

   You nodded and took the bag from her. Every three weeks at the end of the school day, Toriel brought all of her students to take out books, and get picked up by their parents from the library. Aside from that, Frisk was a very avid reader, they and Toriel came in at least once a week, so you saw the two of them fairly often.

   “Put the bag of books here, dear.” Winnie said, “I’ll scan them in, you go and talk to the children.”

   “Oh yes, Frisk has something wonderful to show you.” Toriel chimed. The goat monster took your hand and walked with you over to where the group of students was. She had a tendency to always hold hands with whomever she was walking with, you thought it was really cute.

   Reaching the kid’s area, your eyes darted around the group until you spotted Frisk, who was holding open a book for Monster Kid, a monster kid with no arms. They had a name that was difficult for humans to pronounce, so they insisted on everyone just using nicknames when referring to them, like Kid, or Kiddo. You just call them Monster Kid.

   Noticing you, Frisk waved and set the book down on the floor and let Monster Kid know that they would be right back. Frisk took their backpack off and rummaged through it, pulling out a piece of paper. They hopped to each empty space between their classmates to get to you, and once they did, they handed you the piece of paper.

   You looked down at it, it was a drawing of them, Toriel, and you, frisk was in the middle holding both Toriel and your hands. There were stacks of books and bookshelves all around, so obviously, the setting must have been in the library. Frisk was beaming up at you, it was probably the biggest smile you had ever seen them make.

   “Aw, Frisk, this is great. I’m gonna put it up on the wall with all the others.” You said, going to take a step, but Frisk put their hands up and stopped you. You looked down and they were vigorously shaking their head. “No?” You asked, crouching down so you were level with them. “What is it then?”

   Frisk pointed to you, and put their hand on your heart. Their face had a worried expression, they weren’t sure if you knew what they meant. But, you did.

   “So this is only for me? You want me to take it home with me?” You asked, just to make sure.

   They nodded and wrapped their arms around your neck, embracing you.

   You giggled and hugged them back. “Aw, thanks Frisk, I’ll hang it on my fridge.”

   Looking on, Toriel smiled and patted each of your heads.

~~~

   Later that day, around a quarter past three, you were outside, taking books out of the return bin. It was basically like a mailbox, but bigger, and for books. You had unlocked the door to get the books out, and were down to your knees, taking out them out. You reached in, the door wide enough for you to to fit your head and shoulders into, and placed books beside you on the ground, making a few stacks. The threshold of the door to the library was old, so the book cart always got stuck in it, and half the time, toppled over, so, you had to carry the books inside in stacks. A few moments of silence passed as you took books out of the bin before you heard a voice call out to you.

   “Oh, darling!  Get off  your knees! You’re going to ruin your clothing!”

   Startled by the unmistakable voice, you flinched and hit the back of your head on the rim of the bin’s opening. You winced, and squeezed your eyes shut, holding the back of your head with your hands to try and soothe the pain.

   “Oh dear! Honey, are you alright?” You heard the robotic voice ask, but sounding way closer than before. Then, you felt a hand on your shoulder.

   You opened your eyes and looked up, Mettaton’s face was inches from your own. Once again startled, this time by how close he was to you, you gasped and fell back, going from kneeling, down to your butt. You were so embarrassed, your heart was racing and your face was on fire.

   He stood up straight and began to laugh “Oh, dear, first you hit your head, and then you fall down at the sight of me! I can’t blame you though, I make everyone so weak they can’t stay upright.” The flamboyant robot’s tone changed lower with the last sentence.

   You were speechless, mouth slightly agape, face set ablaze.

   “There goes that sneaky cat with your tongue again.” He chuckled, leaning down. “Here, let’s get you off that dirty sidewalk.” A hand offered to you.

   You paused and looked at his ungloved hand for a moment. You could see his nails looked freshly manicured, or, oiled? Can robots get manicures? Whatever. You took his hand gently and he pulled you to your feet.

   “Now darling, let me see your head.” He said sternly, placing his hands on either side of your head, and angling it so that he could see where you hit it.

   Unable to move, you had no choice but to look at his waist. You silently examined what was probably modeled to look like a belt buckle, where maybe his soul was. It had a pink heart on it, so maybe? You just silently watched the heart’s dim glow, fade in and out. Suddenly you felt pressure where you hit your head.

   “Ow!” You winced.

   “Sorry, sorry.” Mettaton apologized. “Well, there’s no blood, but there is a bump. Maybe you should see a doctor, for all you know, you could have a concussion.”

   “I didn’t hit it that hard.” You replied “I’m fine.”

   Mettaton let go of your head. “Well … Alright.”

   He didn’t sound convinced, but you continued talking. “So um, why are you here?” You asked, angling your head back up to look at him. Noticing you were still standing pretty close to him, you took half a step back.

   “Well, my dear,” he started, “My wondrous Dr. Alphys requested my help to return her library books.”

   You glanced around, Alphys nowhere to be found. “Well … Where is she?” You asked.

   He pointed down the street. “I’m heading to her lab to get them now, Darling, I didn’t realize the library was on my way from the studio, and well, I just happened to see your adorable rump and couldn’t help but call out to you.”

   Your face started to burn, but this time not sure if it was embarrassment or anger, maybe it was both? Embarrassed that he basically said you had a cute butt, but angry that he was so pompous to have to substitute butt for the word ‘rump’. Who the hell did he think he was?

   You turned away and stammered “I-I have to get back to work.”

   “Alright, well, I’ll see you soon enough, hun.” He said with a bit of a chuckle.

   You didn’t respond and knelt down, picking up a stack of books. As you did, you heard the clicking of his heels grow softer. Glancing behind you when you stood up, you watched the metallic superstar strut down the street.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for taking the time to read. If you have any general comments, critique, or suggestions, don't hesitate to leave a comment.


	3. Frostbite

   The library was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, and as you sat at the front desk, you could hear the clock ticking on the wall ten feet behind you. Looking up from the book you were reading, there were a total of three people in the library. A human and monster couple, cuddling on one of the couches as they read the same book together, and an older man reading a book at a table as he drank a coffee. You glanced behind you at the clock, it was about 8:30 in the evening, so it made sense that there was no one there.

   You looked back down to your book, but you didn’t even get a chance to finish the sentence you were reading, when the door opened and the all too familiar robotic voice called to you. “Good evening, dear!”

   Looking up, you put a finger to your lips, and in unison with the three other patrons, you shushed him. But, as it happened, the girls snuggling together on the couch quickly got up and rushed over to Mettaton, asking for autographs and selfies. Behind him, then walking around him, was the small lizard monster, followed by her big fishy girlfriend. Alphys held two plastic bags of books, while Undyne carried a total of six, three in each hand.

   You waved and smiled. “Hey guys.”

   Alphys placed her two bags on the desk, “H-Hey.”

   Undyne flashed her typical toothy smile as she set all of her bags on the desk. “Yo.”

   “N-None of these are overdue, r-right?” Alphys asked nervously. “I-I don’t need any more late fees.”

   A few months ago, Alphys returned about 15 books a week late and got a huge fee, since then, she made an effort to return all her books at least a week early.

   “Let’s see you library card.” You said, holding your hand out. Being handed it, you scanned it and looked at the computer screen. “Hmm, nope, nothing overdue.” You replied.

   The short monster sighed in relief. “Oh, thank goodness.”

   You stood up and pulled the return cart over next to the desk so you could place the books there instead of making huge piles on the desk. Sitting down you began to scan in all the books, looking back up to them, you responded. “Oh, by the way, we got some new volumes in, and finally got some more DVDs.”

   “Sweet!” Undyne yelled.

   You shushed her. “Undyne.”

   “Sorry, sorry.” She apologized, rolling her eyes as she did so.

   Not hearing anyone shush her but yourself, you looked up, seeing that the older man had left, and the couple was still having a conversation with Mettaton.

   You were about to talk to Alphys and Undyne again, but when you looked back to where they were just standing, they had already made their way across the room to where the manga, anime, and graphic novels were kept. You chuckled to yourself as you continued to scan in the books, volume after volume of miscellaneous manga, to books on theoretical physics and human anatomy. In the midst of scanning in books, you felt a puff of air hit your forehead. You looked up to see Mettaton smiling down at you.

   “Evening, cutie.”

   “H-Hi.” You stammered. You wish he’d stop with the pet names, they’ll be the death of you. Your eyes quickly darted along his body and saw what he was wearing, a hot pink pea coat along with a fluffy black scarf, and it looked fantastic on him.

   “How’s your head doing, hun?” He asked as he set four more bags onto the desk, both sounding and looking genuinely concerned.

   It took you a moment to remember what he meant. “O-Oh, it, uh, it only hurts if I touch it.” you stammer.

   He nods “Well, I’m glad you’re alright.”

   You nodded and looked down again, scanning in more of the books. Awkward silence filled in between the two of you as you continued scanning, only the beeps of the computer and the distance chatter of Alphys and Undyne could be heard. Mettaton was still standing there, watching you, and now knowing if you should say anything, you decided to stay quiet.

   A few seconds pass before Mettaton speaks up. “Darling, I have a confession to make.”

   “Huh?” You stopped and looked up at him.

   He wore a pained expression, a hand pressed to his chest, leaning back in a dramatic pose. “Alas, I have had the pleasure of meeting with you, and yet I still don’t know your name.”

   You paused, registering what he just said, and couldn’t hold back your initial reaction, which was to laugh. You covered your mouth with a hand to try and stifle your laughter, but to no avail, you kept laughing.

   Mettaton pouted. “And what’s so funny?”

   But you couldn’t stop, you just kept laughing. Soon, your gained attention from Alphys and Undyne and the two of them made their way over.

   “What’s so funny? What happened?” Alphys asked.

   You closed your eyes, and small tears began to run down your cheeks as you kept laughing.

   “I think you broke them.” Undyne snickered.

   Your laughter died down and you took a deep breath, a few final laughs left as you exhaled. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, that was just too funny.” You said as you opened and wiped the tears from your eyes.

   “W-What did he say that was so funny?” Alphys asked.

   You glanced at Mettaton who was still pouting. “He asked me my name, we’ve spoken twice before this.”

   Undyne laughed a bit, but not much as you just had. “Dude, thats friend making 101, you gotta make sure you at least know their name!”

   “It just slipped my mind is all.” He continued to pout and put his hands on his hips.

   “I’m sorry, Mettaton, that was insensitive of me.” You replied as you scanned in the some more books. “If you had just asked me normally I probably wouldn’t have responded that way, the pose you made was what got me.”

   “H-How did he pose?” Alphys asked, looking over to him.

   “Like this.” He said, posing again.

   You didn’t look up, in fear of laughing again, but you heard Undyne howling and banging the desk.

   “Undyne, shush! You’re in a library!” You scolded her, having to look up from the books you were scanning to glare at her.

   “But you just laughed as loudly as her.” Mettaton whined, pointing a gloved finger at you.

   “I’m the librarian.” You replied, scanning in the last of the books and placing them all on the cart. You gathered up all the plastic bags and shoved them into the drawer with the others.

   “Touche.” Undyne chimed.

   “Alphys, are you gonna be taking out anything new today?” You asked her.

   “O-Oh! Y-Yes, I am. A-And I’m gonna order some from the computer too.” She said with a nod.

   You glanced behind you at the clock on the wall, that read 8:46. “Well, you better get to it, I’m closing shop in about 15 minutes.”

   “TIME ME!” Undyne yelled and smiled widely.

   Undyne dashed across the room to the section she and Alphys were in before. You couldn’t help but laugh as you watched her run. Since everyone but the four of you had left the library, you decided to let her be loud, no harm done. You handed Alphys her library card back so she could use the computer.

   You looked up at Mettaton who was pouting and not looking at you. You sighed. “I apologised didn't I?” You asked. “Are you going to keep pouting?”

   The pouting robot shifted his visible eye over to you and paused. “No,” he said, as his face went to a resting position. “but only because pouting makes wrinkles.”

   “Righ- Hey wait a minute, you’re a robot, you can’t get wrinkles.” You objected.

   “Oh trust me, honey, of course I can.” He said as he sat on the desk.

   You spent the next minute or so, sitting there, thinking about if Mettaton could get wrinkles or not.

   “Hello? Sweetie?” His gloved hand waved in front of your face to get your attention.

   You looked up to him and shook your head. “Nope, robots can’t get wrinkles.”

   He sighed “Fine fine, have it your way.” He stood up from the desk to get out of the way for the bulldozer that was Undyne, who was carrying over about 20 books in her thick, muscular arms.

   She slammed them down, huffing and sweating “How’d I do?!”

   You glanced over to the clock and calculated the time. “51 seconds.”

   “Hell yeah!” She cheered. 

   You laughed to yourself and saw Alphys walking over. You held your hand out to take her library card.

   “I-I ordered, u-um, 27 books.” She said, handing over her card. “W-When … should I expect them?” She asked hesitantly.

   You scanned her card and began to scan each book. “I would say … Probably late this week, maybe Friday or Saturday, but I’ll give you a call when they come, like I always do.” You said, not looking up from the books you were scanning.

   “R-Right, thanks.” She replied

   “Alphys, Undyne, darlings, what are the two of you doing after this?” You heard Mettaton ask the couple as you printed a return slip. You reached into the drawer and pulled out three bags.

   “What aren’t we doing.” Undyne laughed loudly. “Actually, a ninja anime themed marathon.”

   “Y-Yeah! And we’re gonna make a whole bunch of noodles and, and Undyne made rice balls and it’s, we’re, it’s gonna be great.” Alphys said quickly.

   You smiled, amused by how much she loved anime, you liked it, but nowhere near to the extent that she did. You actually never brought it up to her, because you knew if you did, you’d never get her to stop talking, not that it was a bad thing, but … She was just a little too much. You put all the books into the bags and pushed them toward the other side of the desk. You stood up and held out Alphys’ library card to her. “And you are all set.” You said with a smile.

   “T-Thanks.” She smiled and took her card.

   Undyne took the three bags from the desk. “Hey pal, how long is it gonna take you to lock up this place?”

   “Oh uh.” You glanced around. “About five minutes, why?”

   “W-We can wait for you.” Alphys smiled.

   You hesitated for a moment “Oh, oh. Uh, sure.”

   The three of them walked out and you went to take care of everything to lock up. Which consisted of shutting down the computers and turning off all the lights. You were supposed to vacuum, but you were opening tomorrow so you decided to do it in the morning. You grabbed your light sweatshirt, putting it on, and slung the small bag you took with you today, over your shoulder. You headed to the door and turned off the remaining lights.

   Upon opening the door, a freezing gust of wind slapped you in the face. What the hell happened to todays weather forecast? It said it was gonna be a warmer day. Then again, the sun had set over five hours ago, this was no fault but your own. You turned around and locked the door, then attempted to turn the knob to make sure that it locked. It was, and you shoved your keys into your bag.

   “All set, hun?” You heard Mettaton ask as you as you turned back to the three of them.

   You nodded, “Yep, all set.” You tried not to physically shiver too much.

   “What way are you headed, squirt?” Undyne asked, ruffling your hair with her webbed hand.

   You pointed to the left. “That way.” Then lifting your hand up to fix your hair.

   “W-Well U-Undyne and I live the other way.” Alphys said, pointing in the opposite direction.

   “Darling, do you mind if I walked with you?” He asked “My home is that way as well.”

   “O-Oh uh, sure. I mean, if you want to.” You stammered, not sure how to feel about walking toward your home with Mettaton. Feeling your cheeks grow a bit warm, you could probably blame it on the cold if he mentioned it.

   “See you two around!” Undyne called out, waving goodbye to the both of you, as she took Alphy’s hand with her free hand. You could see Alphys blushing as she waved as well.

   You simply waved goodbye, your other hand hugging your torso and your shoulders scrunched up, trying to keep yourself warm.

   “Au revoir, darlings.” Mettaton waved goodbye to them.

   You turned around and began to walk down the sidewalk, Mettaton walking beside you. After a few moments, you found yourself listening to the click of Mettaton’s heels with each step he took. The only other sounds were your own footsteps, the occasional car passing, and the low hum of the streetlights that lit the sidewalk before you.

   Your brought your hands up to your mouth and exhaled into them, trying to warm them up.

   “Honey, are you cold?” You heard the robot ask.

   He asked you when you were in the middle of rubbing your arms, but still denied “Oh uh, no, I-I’m fine.”

   “Don’t lie to me, dear, you’re shivering, your breathing is uneven, and the sweater you’re wearing is is for show, not for warmth.” He said with a sigh. “I’ll give you my jacket.”

   You put a hand up “No no, it’s okay, my house is only 15 minutes away.”

   “Darling, I will not be held responsible for you getting frostbite.” He stopped walking and unbuttoned his pea coat.

   You sighed and stopped as well, blowing into your hands again as he slid his coat off his shoulders.

   “Put your arms down, hun.” He said.

   You did, Mettaton leaning down closer to you as he wrapped the coat around you, sliding it up your arms, and buttoned it for you. You blushed and puffed out your cheeks, you could have buttoned it up yourself but he would have obviously insisted on doing it for you. He then took his scarf off and wrapped it around your neck.

   He stood up straight and put his hands on his hips. “Perfect~”

   You blushed and looked down, “T-Thank you.”

   “Shall we?” He asked.

   You nodded and began walking alongside him again. You inhaled through your nose, the smell of the cold, brisk air, mixed with the smell of a strong fruity perfume, but it also might have been bubblegum at the same time? You weren’t really able to pinpoint the scent, but you were sure on one thing. This was what Mettaton smelled like.

   The silence continued on for minutes as the two of you walked down the street. You saw the fork in the road where you had to go right, not sure if Mettaton was heading that way as well, you glanced up at him.

   “I’m headed to the left, and you?” He asked.

   “Right.” you replied as the two of you reached where the road split. You glanced up at Mettaton who was about to speak, but you cut him off by saying your name.

   “What was that, hun?” He asked, cocking his head to the side.

   You repeated yourself, and added “it’s my name. I never told you, soooo…” You trailed off and glanced to the side, shrugging your shoulders.

   There was a pause before he spoke. “It’s gorgeous.”

   You glanced back up to him and he was beaming, maybe one of the biggest smiles you’d ever seen him make within the week of seeing his new body around social media, which really wasn’t much, but still, it was a really big smile.

   Feeling your face grow hot enough to make you start sweating, you decided it was time to go. “O-Okay, w-well t-thank  your for the coat and for walking with me, and, and, and uh, I-I’ll get your coat back to you soon. Okay, thanks bye.” You said without taking a breath of air. You quickly turned away and started walking down your street.

   “Alright, well goodnight, darling, get home safe!” You heard him call out to you. You didn’t respond, just kept walking toward your apartment, so flustered that you weren’t sure you could even walk straight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you know that robots can get wrinkles? 
> 
> Also, the perfume Mettaton wears was based on the Pure Seduction scent from Victoria's Secret
> 
> Thanks for taking the time to read. If you have any general comments, critique, or suggestions, don't hesitate to leave a comment. I would really appreciate suggestions of any kind.


	4. Lipstick

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I genuinely want to thank all that have left kudos, made bookmarks, and written amazing comments, I've received nothing but praise and compliments on this fic and it has raised my confidence immensely. I'm really glad to be able to offer something to the asexual community as well as people who wanted a slow build Mettaton/Reader fic. 
> 
> I also wanted to deeply thank a very close friend of mine, who is currently going by the username papyruswave on tumblr. (apparently I can't make a hyperlink in the chapter notes, what gives?) Without them, I would have never come up with the idea for this chapter. I owe them a lot. (cont. at end)
> 
> I would also really appreciate masculine and dmab people to read the end notes.
> 
> Again, thank you guys for the overwhelming support!

   It had been eight, **eight days** since Mettaton had walked you home, and now you’re sitting in a coffee shop, staring down into your hot chocolate, wondering why you missed him so much. The feeling initially set in about half a week after that cold night, you maybe thought that you just missed hearing his voice, or looking at his face. You assumed that was natural, lots of people have infatuations with celebrities. But, upon attempting to fill that desire with watching his show, you didn’t feel like you got what you were looking for.

   As you sat in the warm cafe, you glanced around at the other tables, they were full of groups of friends, as well as couples, laughing and chatting, enjoying each others company. That’s when it hit you. You missed his presence. You took a deep breath and tried not to externally freak out. You shook your head and sipped your hot chocolate, it was still scalding, but you didn’t care, you needed to feel something other than … whatever it was you were feeling. How does anyone distinguish emotions? Was this friendship? Did you really wanna be his friend? Or was it a crush? What does having a crush on someone even feel like? It had been so long, maybe three, or even four years since the last time you might have had a crush on someone. Even then it obviously didn’t work out. All you knew, was that you missed having him near you, and that made you sick to your stomach. You hardly knew him, you conversed three, **three** goddamn times. You didn’t even know his favorite color! Well, actually, it was most likely pink, but that was besides the point.

   You looked up from your cup of hot chocolate and looked around the coffee shop again. It was a fair size, holding a dozen or so round tables, and the shop itself was on a street corner, so an entire two walls of the shop were completely windows, making it a great place to people watch. You watched people passing outside as you took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. You needed to try and work through these feelings, but not having much experience to compare your current plight to, you had no idea how to go about it. You looked back down at the cup with only a sip taken from it, and the untouched croissant sitting on a plate beside it. You tore off a corner of the pastry and placed it into your mouth, eating it as you leaned back into your chair, attempting once more to sort out what was going on in your head. But, sitting there in silence for almost a full five minutes as you sipped your hot chocolate and finished your pastry, you were unable to think of a solution. You decided to mess around on your phone to distract yourself, but as you were still fixated on the people passing outside, blindly fishing for your phone in your bag, you saw a flash of hot pink pass through your gaze. It was him, the very person that had consumed your waking days.

   You froze, desperately hoping that he didn't see you, but it was too late. He had almost continued walking, but as he glanced into the window, your eyes met. He had pulled his gaze away for a brief moment, but did a double take, your eyes meeting again. He smiled, waving to you, and rushed to the door of the cafe. You buried your face into your hands. Why, why now? Did the universe really hate you that much?

   The small bell above the entrance chimed and in unison, you heard Mettaton call out to you. “Oh, darling!”

   You looked up from your hands, watching him walk over to you, the rest of the room grew quiet, hearing whispers replace the louder chatter.

   “Are you all alone, honey?” He asked as he reached your table.

   You nodded, replying “Y-Yeah.”

   Mettaton slid off the hot pink, short, trench coat he was wearing and set it on the back of the chair adjacent to you. “Well don't go anywhere. I'm going to grab a drink.”

   Not responding, you watched him walk over to the counter to order whatever it was he was going to get. You put a hand to your chest, taking a few deep breaths. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad. Maybe while being with him, you could figure out what the hell you liked about him so much that made you so obsessed with him.

   After a few minutes passed, Mettaton strutted his way back over to you and sat himself down, setting his to-go cup on the table. You assumed he wasn't staying long.

   “It’s been so long darling, how have you been?” He asked with a smile.

   Your eyes darted down as your fingers twirled around the tassels of the scarf you were wearing. “I-I've been fine.” You simply replied.

   “Oh honey, there must be more than that.” He pushed further, wanting to hear more than just vague descriptions.

   You stopped playing with your scarf and put your hands together on the table, sat up straight and looked up to him. You had to stop being so goddamn timid all the time and try to have a real conversation with this … sparkly robot man. “I-I've been alright … I mean, how much more exciting can someone's life get when they work in a library all the time?” You asked.

   “Well, you like it, don't you?” He asked.

   “I mean, the work is pretty easy and the pay is good, so-” you began, except he cut you off.

   “Yes yes, but do you _like_ it?” He asked, emphasizing the like.

   You weren't really sure how to respond. Yeah, you liked it, the environment was really nice and all, but think you knew what he was really trying to ask.

   “I like it, but it's not my passion.” You replied, picking up your cup and drinking the last of your hot chocolate.

   That seemed to spark his interest, for a split second, you could have sworn his pupil turned into an exclamation point. “Well then, what is?” He asked, leaning in closer to you.

   You blushed and glanced down. “U-Um … I’m an artist.” You replied and looked back up to him. “An illustrator.”

   Okay, you knew you weren't seeing things, it seemed as if his pupil turned into a star upon hearing the words escape your mouth. He smiled even more and responded “Oh, dear, that's wonderful, you’ll have to show me your portfolio sometime, I’d love to see it.”

   You simply nodded in response.

   “Perhaps sometime I could even introduce you to my cousin.” he suggested “They’re an artist as well, well not the kind that you are, they makes wonderful music.”

   “Oh uh, sure, why not.” You say with a shrug.

   “Delightful!” Mettaton exclaimed, clapping his gloved hands together.

   Now that he had asked such an important question, you started to think about if your life was going in the right direction. Were you spending too much time in the library and not enough time illustrating? Probably. You didn’t spend tens of thousands of dollars to attend art school, just to become a librarian. Your right hand sat on your lap, fiddling with the scarf again, and the right, rested on the table.

   “You alright, hun?” He asked, waving a hand in front of your face.

   You focused back to him “Oh uh, sorry … You ... asked a really important question.”

   “Hm? Did I now?” He asked, putting a finger to his mouth as he smiled.

   “Yeah …” you paused, then looked into his eye. “How did you do it? How did you go after your passion of acting while in the underground?” You asked, leaning forward a bit.

   It seemed like Mettaton was taken aback by your sudden question. “Well, I was one of the lucky ones …” He said. “I wasn’t always this fabulous. I used to be a simple ghost, dreaming of the day I’d rise to stardom. And, well, long story short, I met Alphys, she built my amazing body, and I became a star after my first audition.” He stated, smiling proudly.

   Leaning back in your chair, you nodded at the information he had just told you, trying to figure out how you would compare it to your own life.

   “But that’s just how I did it.” He said softly, interrupting your thoughts, “And, sweetie, you aren’t me. You have to find your own path, don't compare yourself to anyone else, I mean, I know it's hard for someone not to compare themselves to a fabulous man like myself, but …” He paused, trying to find the right words. He put his hands on top of your hand that was resting on the table, gripping it softly. “You’ll get there, it just takes time, not everyone can be as lucky as me. All you need is a little bit of determination, and trust me, honey, you have more of it than I do.”

   You could hear the sincerity dripping from his words. Not sure how to react, all you could do was nod. From the past few years of watching his show, the only side you’ve ever seen of him, was his eccentricity. He never even let the viewers know that he was anything but a robot, not that it really mattered. You were glad to have at least a little bit of guidance, as well as some type of encouragement, even if it was from the man you were for some reason infatuated with.

   You saw Mettaton’s eye shift away from you. “Oh dear, look at the time.” He exclaimed.

   Glancing over to the clock on the wall, it read a quarter to four.

   “It’s been absolutely lovely speaking with you, darling, but I simply must get going!”

   Before you even had a moment to respond, Mettaton took your left hand, which he was still holding with each of his own, and pulled it to his mouth, leaving a quick kiss as he stood up. He let go and grabbed his coat from the back of his chair, not even pausing to put it on as he rushed toward the door. With his free hand, he waved to you. “Bye, darling.” And with that, he was gone.

   You sat in silence, staring at the door he had just walked out of, for what felt like forever, but could have been a mere thirty seconds. Quickly you brought your right hand up to your mouth, feeling a sudden wave of heat take over your entire body. What was that? Did he just kiss your hand? What did it mean?! Here you were, not even five minutes ago, having some type of identity crisis, and Mettaton had the audacity to kiss your fucking hand.

   Looking down, you could see your left hand trembling, and a black lipstick print left upon it. What hell were you supposed to do with that?! You were internally screaming in another plane of existence. One half of you wanted to immediately wipe it away, the other wanted to cut your own hand off and frame it on the wall. You decided to try and wipe it away, but all it did was leave a big, glittery, black smudge on the back of your hand. Aggravated, you left it there. You looked away, trying to distract yourself, and noticed the to-go cup Mettaton had left on the table due to his rush. Pulling the cup over, you took the lid off. Inside, was the same hot chocolate you were drinking not even five minutes before he showed up. You put the lid back on, but as you did, you saw scribbling on the side of the cup. You turned it, and written on the side, was your name. He got it for you.

~~~

   Before heading to your late shift at the library, you stopped home to grab some art supplies, wanting to do a bit of drawing in your downtime, rather than reading. As you closed the door to your apartment behind you, you saw your coat rack not even five feet away. Hanging from it, with all of your belongings, was Mettaton’s coat and scarf. Since he lent it to you, you had brought it with you to the library, every day, partly hoping he would come to get them back, but also hoping he would come to see you.

   You made your way over to the rack and took the scarf off, holding it in your hands. You lifted it up and closed your eyes as you buried your face into it. It was so soft, like rabbit fur, if it was, your hoped it was faux, but that was honestly the least of your concerns right now. You inhaled softly, it still smelt like like him. You opened your eyes and pulled away from it. What were you doing? Honestly, was this going to solve anything? You sighed, not knowing what to do anymore and hung it back up with his coat.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lol, kudos if you found the Hamilton reference.
> 
>  Also, when do you guys think Mettaton's birthday would be? I keep thinking, coincidentally being on February 14, Valentines Day, but just because of all the pink.
> 
> (cont.) I would have never come up with the idea for the coffee shop, the layout of it, and the quick hand kiss, if it weren't for the help of my lovely friend. Ally, you're amazing!
> 
> For my dmab and masculine readers. So, I'm feminine, dfab, non-binary, and I would really appreciate feedback letting me know if the reader seems gender neutral enough. I want to be able to make all my readers happy, and I don't have the experience of being very dmab, etc. Thank you in advance!
> 
> Thanks for taking the time to read. If you have any general comments, critique, or suggestions, don't hesitate to leave a comment. I would really appreciate suggestions of any kind.


	5. Adv

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry, the title make sense, just trust me on this one.

   You had gotten to work earlier and on time, at around 4:30 or so, and it had been a normal Wednesday evening shift. You glanced at the clock, it now being almost seven. You sighed, two whole more hours to go, you just wanted to go to bed, today was just too much for you to handle. You glanced around the library, it was empty, the last patron had left about 15 or so minutes ago, you wondered when, or if, someone was going to come in anytime soon.

   Looking down at your open sketch book, your eyes scanned over the several different sketches of winter scenes. You decided to take up Winnie’s offer to paint a mural for the library window, it being almost a month since you got any type of art commission. You turned the page and began drawing a layout of the library window, to sketch another mural concept, this one depicting monsters and humans having a snowball fight. As you zoned out, drawing one of the figures laughing at someone being hit by a snowball, you started drawing Mettaton’s face laughing. Realizing what you were doing, you immediately ripped the page out of the book, crumpled it up, threw it toward the trash bin a few feet away, it missed.

   You went to start drawing again, when the door opened, you quickly turned your head, seeing small Frisk with their two skeleton friends, Sans standing beside them, and Papyrus, still standing outside, only peeking his head in. You waved hello to them. “Winnie isn’t here right now.” You said.

   Due to the fact that Papyrus had the tendency to forget how loud he was talking, Winnie didn’t like having him in the library around, so, when she was, he was temporarily banned from the library.

   The tall skeleton beamed “I, The Great Papyrus, am glad to hear this!” he exclaimed proudly, walking into the library.

   The three of them made their way over to you. Frisk was holding several books and attempted to put them up onto the high desk, you stood up to take the stack from them but they shook their head, not wanting you to help.

   “Don’t worry, I gotcha kiddo.” The smaller skeleton said as he lifted Frisk up by the waist, and gaining that little extra height, they were able to set the books down.

   “Thank you, Frisk.” You smiled.

   They smiled back to you as Sans put them down.

   You sat back down and your eyes gazed over the three of them. You had to say, the pair of skeletons had the weirdest fashion taste you had ever witnessed in your entire life. Sans, sporting a pair of mismatched crocs, purple cargo shorts, and a blue and green hawaiian shirt. He had the fashion sense of a really weird uncle, or maybe a dad? A dunkle.

   Papyrus on the other hand, well, he was a completely different breed. Despite it being cold out, wait, do skeletons get cold? Maybe? Whatever. He was wearing a highlighter yellow crop top with a bright red icon of the 100 emoji with two lines beneath it, along with burgundy skinny jeans that were still baggy on him, since he was a skeleton, and tan boating shoes. He was a mess.

   “Hey uh, Papyrus, what’s up with that outfit?” You asked, genuinely curious about his motives behind his clothing choices.

   “Nya haa haa! I’m glad you asked, human!” He bellowed, putting his hands onto his hips. “I, The Great Papyrus, have a date tonight with the most amazing person in the world! We’re going to eat spaghetti and then to the movies, hopefully there will be a movie about spaghetti!”

   Your jaw almost dropped but you stopped yourself by covering your mouth with a hand. Papyrus, fucking, Papyrus the skeleton of all people had a stable love life while you were over here agonizingly trying to find out whether or not a disgustingly gorgeous robot liked you.

   “So I guess you could say it’s going to be a night im **pasta** ble to forget, huh bro?” Sans smirked as he nudged his brother with his elbow.

   Papyrus groaned, “If I’m lucky, I’ll be able to forget that ridiculous pun!”

   Upon his witty response, Frisk giggled.

   “Come on Frisk, let’s get away from Sans and find you some new books.” The tall skeleton said, taking the small child’s hand and walking away.

   As they walked off, Sans, only being a few inches taller than Frisk, rested his chin on the desk and smirked. “Hey, kid, not working your **shelf** too hard, are ya?”

   You rolled your eyes “C’mon Sans, I’m tired, I don’t have the patience to deal with you being punny right now.”

   “Fine fine, I’ll **tome** it down a bit.” He replied with a snicker.

   You groaned, rubbing your temple with your left hand.

   “Hey, so … You gonna go for it?”

   “What?” You asked, removing your hand and looking at him, thinking he was probably setting you up for another pun.

   “Mettaton.” He said simply

   There was long pause before you said anything. “W-What the hell are you talking about?” You asked nervously, trying to brush it off.

   “Kid, who else’s lipstick would that be on the back of your hand?” He asked, pointing to it.

   You quickly moved your hand to your lap, proceeding to lie through your teeth. “That was charcoal, I was using it earlier at home.” 

   “I didn’t know charcoal had glitter in it.” He retorted.

   You leaned down close to him, meeting his eye level, resting your own chin on the desk. His lax attitude was starting to piss you off. “What do you know?” You asked in a demanding whisper.

   “Just that you like Mettaton and he may or may not like you back.”

   Outraged by his response, you shot up and and hit the desk with your hand. “How do you know?!”

   “Everything going alright over there?” Papyrus asked from across the room where he sat on the rug with Frisk.

   Sans turned to them before you could answer, “Yeah, everything’s fine, Bro.” He turned back to you, returning to his previous position.

   “If you say so.” Papyrus said before going back to looking at books with Frisk.

   Sans snickered and you got back down to his level, asking him as you clenched your teeth. “How do you know.”

   “I heard it through the grapevine.” He said, unphased by your attitude.

   “From who?!” You asked, in a harsh whisper.

   He shrugged. “People talk.”

   You sat up straight again and buried your face into your hands, now speaking in a normal tone. “My life is over.” You were completely embarrassed.

   “Why would it be over?” he asked.

   “Because …” You paused. Why would it? Maybe because if you found out that he didn’t like you back and you had been reading him wrong this entire time, you would die from embarrassment? You opened your mouth to answer, but Sans spoke before you were able to get a word out.

   “Alright kid, look, you like him, and he likes you, but his head is so far up his own ass that he just can’t be frank with you, not with you, and not with his own feelings. So, if you don’t get your ass in gear, there isn’t gonna be any happy endings, and you’re gonna wind up being shit outta luck.”

   “Sans! Three dollars in the swear jar when we get home!” Papyrus yelled out from where he sat. You looked over, seeing him covering Frisk’s ears.

   “Yeah, yeah.” He brushed him off and looked back up to you. “You alright there, kiddo?”

   “Uh, yeah.” You nodded, but you weren’t sure if you were. You were just told things you weren’t sure you could handle. You started thinking about what might happen if all of this was true, and you and Mettaton ended up dating in the long run. Spending more time together, going on dates, and everything else that went with it. You buried your face in your hands out of the embarrassment caused by your own thoughts.

   “Calm down, buddy.”

   Your head shot up, your mind suddenly filled with the negative outcomes. “B-B-But what if you’re wrong? What if he doesn't really like me? Or worse, he does and we start dating and he realizes I’m a total weirdo!”

   “Are you a weirdo?” he asked.

   “I dunno? Maybe!” Your voice rose due you freaking out.

   You heard shushing from across the room, looking over you saw it was coming from both Papyrus and Frisk.

   You groaned and put your head on the desk. “Having a crush on someone sucks.”

   “Tell me about it.” Sans agreed.

   “Wait, who do you have a crush on?” You asked, shifting from the side of your head, to your chin.

   “Secret.”

   You groaned again, knowing you weren’t going to be getting any more than that out of him.

   “Kid, don’t sweat it, alright? Just let things develop naturally and it’ll all fall into place. When the right time comes, you’ll know.”

   “But how will I know?” You asked.

   Sans lifted his chin from the desk. “You’ll just know, trust me on this one.”

   You sat upright as well, looking down at the smudge on the back of your hand. “Alright …” You replied.

   You looked up again, seeing Frisk and Papyrus walking back over, Frisk holding about three or four new books. They handed them up to you and you took them along with their library card. You scanned in all the books, and printed the return slip, then handed everything back to them.

   “All set.” You smiled.

   “Alright, kid, let's get you home.” Sans said, patting Frisks head with his hand.

   “Have a good night you guys.” You said, waving goodbye as the three of them headed for the door. “Oh, and Papyrus, good luck on your date.” You called out.

   “Luck? Nye hee hee! The Great Papyrus doesn’t need luck! All I need is my charm and dashing good looks, oh, and maybe a container of spaghetti.”

   You chuckled and waved them off.

   The three of them walked out the door and out of view, but a few moments later, Sans walked out from a bookshelf. “Hey kid.”

   You almost fell out of your seat. “Jesus, Sans! How many times have I told you not to do your weird shortcut thing in the library.”

   He just laughed it off and walked over to you. “I forgot one last thing.”

   Furrowing your brow, you replied with a simple, “Huh?”

   “Can I offer you a piece of advice?” He asked.

   You nodded.

   Out of his pocket, he pulled a piece of paper. He began to slowly rip it in half. Once it was in two pieces, he handed you one half. You looked down at it, written on it, was the word ‘Adv’, you paused a moment, realizing that he literally gave you a piece of the word advice.

   “Sans!” You yelled, but he was gone.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Does the title make sense now?
> 
> Also, this is the emoji on Papyrus' shirt if you didn't get it.  
> http://pix.iemoji.com/images/emoji/apple/8.3/256/hundred-points-symbol.png
> 
> Anyway, I really have to thank my friend Ally (Papyruswave on tumblr) immensely again, they helped me so so so much with this chapter. I'm not the best at writing the skelebros, so she was a really big help. Like, damn, I should say they were a co-writer for this chapter. Damn. Hahahh (They were the one going on the date with Papyrus, I know it's kinda, cliche or like, what children do in fics, putting their friends in, but LET ME LIVE)
> 
> Thanks for taking the time to read. If you have any general comments, critique, or suggestions, don't hesitate to leave a comment. I would really appreciate suggestions of any kind.


	6. Melody

   Looking back at the clock on the wall, it was exactly 2:36. Your legs were restless, you wanted to get out of work, for some reason you had no patience today and you’ve been like this since you got into work at eight this morning. You still had a little over 20 minutes to go, but you knew it was going to feel like 20 years.

   Standing up, you looked around for something to do, but you were on desk duty. Your high school co-worker was currently putting back all of today’s returns and you had to sit there, just looking around, waiting for someone to come check out a book. You sighed and sat back down again, looking around the room, it was starting to get a bit busy. Around this time was when students who got out of school would stop by on their way home, but most just came to read a while, not take anything out.

   You sat silently as your mind started to wander a bit. Mainly thinking about what you were going to do when you got off work. Maybe you would stop and get a hot chocolate or something. But thinking about hot chocolate made you think about your encounter with Mettaton three days ago, and thinking about that, made you think of what Sans told you later that night. You took a deep breath. No, not right now. Mettaton was all you could think about lately and you needed it to stop. But at this moment, all you could think about was what would happen if he came in the library, because he could literally come in at any moment. You shook your head quickly, you needed to stop thinking about the impossible, of course he wasn’t going to walk in today, it was a Saturday, he had way more important things to do on a Saturday than going to a dinky little library.

   Somehow being able to get the absurd idea of Mettaton walking in, out of your head, you heard the door open, followed by a “Good afternoon, darlings!”

   You buried your face into your hands, not even looking over, you couldn’t fucking believe it, were you dreaming? Was this real life right now? You lifted your head from your hands and pinched your arm, flinching. Yep, still real life.

   Not hearing a wave of shushes, but a wave of ‘oh my god’ and ‘is that really him?’, you looked over, seeing Mettaton becoming surrounded by a small crowd of mainly high school and middle school students, even your co-worker was part of the group. You sighed and stood up, not wanting to, but it being your job as the librarian, you cleared your throat loudly, followed by an even louder, “Excuse me.”

   The crowd hushed, and everyone, including Mettaton, looked over to you.

   “Do you mind taking yourselves outside? This is a library.” You said, sternly.

   “Oh, honey, I’m so sorry, of course.” He said, smiling gingerly. Then, he and the crowd made their way outside.

   It was a good fifteen minutes until they came back in, most of the students gone, all that was left was your co-worker, a few students, and Mettaton being closely followed by a ghost.

   “Oh I am dreadfully sorry about that, dear.” Mettaton said as he made his way over to you. You couldn’t believe what he was wearing, a hot pink fur coat. If it were being worn by anyone but Mettaton, it would look hideous, but he looked absolutely fabulous.

   You waved dismissively. “No no, I-It’s okay.”

   “No, it isn’t,” he said, pouting, then taking the hand you were gesturing with, into both of his hands. “Whenever I show up, all I do is make a commotion out of everything. I really am sincerely sorry.”

   Your cheeks flushed, and you nodded. “O-Okay.” You glanced away from him, your gaze shifting to the small ghost behind him. When the two of you made eye contact, they hid behind Mettaton

   “Now then.” The robot started as he let go of your hand. “I came by to ask you when you get off work.”

   “Oh uh.” You said, looking back up to him, then back to the clock on the wall behind you. “Less than five minutes, why?” You ask, turning back to him.

   “Oh perfect.” He said, clapping his hands together.

   “Why?” You asked a second time.

   “I’ll wait for you outside. C’mon, Blooky.” Mettaton said as he walked toward the door, the little ghost timidly following him.

   As soon as the two of them stepped outside, you heard footsteps quickly make their way over to you. Suddenly, you co-worker gripped your shoulders. “How the hell do you know Mettaton?”

   “Oh uh, I met him through a friend.” You replied vaguely. Technically you weren't lying, being friends with Alphys, and Mettaton picking up books for her, that made sense, right? Yeah.

   Your co-worker gasped. “Oh my god, you have to tell him about me, okay? Oh my gosh, imagine if we became friends, and eventually started dating? Oh my gosh, the things I’d let him do to me.” They whispered, biting their bottom lip.

   “Okaaayy, um, first of all, TMI.” You said as you stood up and pulled from their grip. “Second of all, I don’t even know him all that well.” Walking over to the bookshelf to write down your leaving time, you finished. “Third of all, you’re disgusting.”

   They rolled their eyes. “Whatever, I can dream, can’t I?”

   You shrugged as you took your coat off the back of the chair, sliding it on. “Alright, I’m out.”

   “Seeya.” They replied, taking your spot at the desk.

   You walked over to the door and opened it, a gust of cold air hitting your face. Instinctively, you were about to head home, but you saw Mettaton standing there, leaning against the brick wall of the library, talking softly to his ghost friend.

   Seeing you, Mettaton smiled. “Honey! Finally~”

   You waved meekly. “H-Hey.”

   “I’m glad you finally remembered a coat.” He commented. “It’s a cute one, too.”

   Him reminding you, you were about to open your mouth to speak, but he continued. “Now down to business,” He said your name sweetly, then gesturing to the ghost floating beside him. “this is my dearest cousin, Napstablook, Blooky, this is my lovely new friend,” he said your name as he gestured back to you.

   You waved and smiled. “Hi.”

   “Oh …. Uh …. Hello ….” They said softly.

   You glanced over at Mettaton, who was beaming. “Darling, you don’t have anything planned for the rest of the afternoon, do you?” He asked.

   Upon shaking your head no, he linked your arm with one of his, and wrapping the other around his cousin. “Good, because I have something special planned~”

   Without being able to get a word in otherwise, Mettaton dragged you along down the street. Your cheeks flushed, being so close to him made your heart race. You took a deep breath and glanced up at him.

   “Hm? What is it, dearie?” He asked, not looking down.

   “Are you even going to tell me what’s going on, or are you going to keep me in the dark?”

   “You’re not afraid, are you?” He asked.

   Not understanding what he meant, you furrowed your brow. “Huh?”

   “Of the dark, silly.” He giggled and smiled down at you. “Because, yes, I am keeping you there.”

   You looked back ahead and pouted in frustration.

   After only walking about 10 or so more minutes, the three of you reached the more high end part of the city. As you walked, you looked around curiously, it had been a long time since you’d actually been to this area. After a couple more minutes of walking, you found yourself standing before a huge hotel. “Wow.” Was all you could muster, you were awestruck.

   “This is where Blooky and I live.” Mettaton responded, finally letting go of your arm, as well as his cousin, and made his way to the front door, where a doorman grabbed it for him.

   You followed and nodded thanks to the doorman as you walked inside. Looking around, is was beautiful, but you hardly had a moment to take it all in, when Mettaton hurried you over to the elevator. “Come now, darling.” He smiled.

   All of you entered the elevator. There was a total of 30 floors, and Mettaton hit the 29th button, it lit up once he did.

   Even the elevator was ritzy. You looked all around it, still awed by the glamour of it. You heard Mettaton chuckle from beside you, you turned, seeing him looking at you. “What?” You asked. “What’s so funny.”

   “Nothing, nothing.” He smiled. “You’re just so amusing to watch.”

   You looked straight ahead of you and pursed your lips, not really sure what that meant.

   The elevator made a ‘ping’ noise and the doors opened to a long hallway that only had 5 doors. You were still unsure of what you were actually doing, but you followed after Mettaton and Napstablook as they took the lead.

   “Alright, Blooky, do your thing.” Mettaton said in a cheerful tone.

   “I suppose …” They said softly, their tone anything but cheerful. They then phased through the door at the end of the hall and the door was opened from the inside.

   Mettaton strutted in and you followed after him, glancing around the room. It was very nicely decorated, and had a light and dark blue color scheme, with small accents of orange.

   “Welcome …. To my house …. Enjoy yourself …. Or don’t …. I don’t mind either way....” The small ghost said softly, their voice had a defeated tone to it.

   Mettaton slid off his coat and laid it on the back of the only couch in the room, then looked over to you. “Hun, I’ll take your coat.”

   “Oh um, thank you.” You unzipped it and slid it off, handing it to him. “So um, are you going to tell me what’s going on now?” You asked.

   He set your coat down with his and replied. “Oh right, of course, of course.” He smiled and stepped over to Napstablook, wrapping an arm around him. “I really wanted you to hear some of Blooky’s music. Just the other day you told me you wanted to, right?”

   Remembering, you nodded. “Yes, I did, I’d love to hear it.” You smiled. “I mean, if you’d like to share it with me, Napstablook.”

   “Oh …. Gee …. Okay ….” He said, floating over to his computer and turned it on.

   You weren’t really sure how he did it, with his lack of arms, but he did.  

   Mettaton went over to the couch, sitting himself down, then patted the space beside him. “Don’t just stand there, darling, take a seat, get comfortable.”

   Timidly, you sat down with him, but still keeping a fair space between the two of you. You looked more around the room, taking in the decor. It was simple, very simple. It was hard to believe that he and Napstablook were even related. All that was in their living room area was the couch you were sitting on, a small coffee table, a desktop computer, and a TV. Even though everything was pretty simple, hooked up to their computer was a high tech speaker system, no expense was spared.

   Napstablook turned back to the two of you. “I’m …. going to play the music now ….” They said softly, then turning back to their computer and played it.

   The music had a very interesting and unique sound. It reminded you vaguely of halloween for some reason, you weren’t exactly sure how to describe what you were listening to, but all you knew is that you were enjoying the melody. Listening to it more intently, you leaned back and sunk into the soft cushions of the couch, closing your eyes to take in the music better. Once the song ended, you opened your eyes again, seeing Mettaton leaned in close to you, watching you intently. Heat rising to your cheeks, you sat up straight. “W-What?”

   “Did you like it?” Mettaton asked, a slight nervousness in his tone.

   You nodded “Yes, I really did.” You smiled. “The composition and flow was really nice. I also really liked that little transition in the middle.” You said, a bit nervously. You weren’t all that educated with music terminology so you hoped that what you said actually made sense.

   “Oh …. That’s really nice of you ….” The ghost said, then their eyes filled up with tears and began to cry of joy.

   “See, Blooky, I told you they would like your music.” Mettaton said, getting up from the couch to go to his cousin.

   What Mettaton just said, suddenly struck a chord with you. If he had previously told Napstablook that you would like their music, that ultimately meant that he had been talking about you, right? Were you reading too much into everything again? Oh god you hoped not. But suddenly, Sans’ bits of advice popped into your head, telling you to not stress about it and let things fall into place. You dook a deep breath and tried to bring yourself back down to earth. The exuberant robot was still hugging his cousin, whose tears had stopped and mouth turned into a smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was more of a laid back chapter, but I really liked writing it. Although, I'm not sure if I was able to capture Blooky's personality all that well. 
> 
> Mettaton really cares for, and is protective of his cousin, so, he must trust reader enough to introduce reader to them. Right? *wink*
> 
> Thank you guys so much for reading this chapter! If you have any comments, suggestions, or critiques, I would really appreciate them!


	7. Nap

   “I …. Should go feed my snails ….” Napstablook said softly.

   Mettaton released the ghost from his embrace. “Do you mind if we listen to more of your music while we wait for you?”

   “I suppose not ….”

   Napstablook floated over to their computer, a few clicks could be heard and soon, more music was flowing into the room again, but at a lower volume. They then floated off into another room.

   “I’m really glad you like Blooky’s music, dearie.” Mettaton said genuinely, sitting back down beside you. You could tell how much he really cared about his cousin.

   “I’m really glad I was able to listen to it.” You responded.

   Mettaton placed his gloved hand gently onto your hand, that was resting beside you on the couch, grasping it softly. “Really, Blooky means the world to me, and the fact that you genuinely like their music, it really means a lot.” He said, looking into your eyes, softly rubbing his thumb back and forth over the top of your hand as he held it.

   Feeling your whole body grow hot, you wanted to tear your eyes away from his single visible one, but you just couldn’t do it. You opened your mouth to speak, but the words you were looking for, just wouldn’t come out. You could hear your heartbeat thumping in your ears, drowning out the noise of Napstablooks music.

   Before you died of heatstroke, Mettaton pulled away his hand and broke eye contact with you. As he situated himself on the couch, you turned away from him and brought your hand up quickly to your heart, feeling you heart beating so fast that you were most likely going to die of a heart attack if that continued any further.

   “Is everything alright, dear?” He asked.

   You took a deep breath and pulled your hand away from your chest as you turned back to him. “Yeah.” You replied.

   Mettaton was now sitting up straight, with a leg crossed over the other, his hands resting on the knee of the top leg. “Since we have a moment alone, darling, I wanted to talk to you about something.”

   “Um, w-what is it?” You asked, not sure where the conversation was headed.

   “Well, obviously since I’m famous, a lot of my personal information is all over the internet and such, easily accessible by the public. So, you probably know everything about me. What I want to know, dearie, is everything about you.” He said enthusiastically, poking your collarbone softly as he said ‘you’.

   “Oh … Uh …” You started. “Well, first of all, I know next to nothing about you, Mettaton, you may be famous, and your information may be out there for the world to see, but it doesn’t mean everyone is going to actively seek it out. I for one, am not interested in internet stalking people.”

   Pausing at your response, wearing a bewildered expression, he replied. “Oh well … Your loss. Thousands of my fans know everything about me.” He said, trying to brush off how slightly offended he was.

   Wow, how egotistical. “Well then, why don’t we go back and forth?” You suggested. “You ask me a question, then I ask you one, then you, then me, and, well, you get the picture.”

   “What a brilliant idea!” He smiled, shifting his position once more so that he was completely facing you, his legs criss crossed, whole body on the couch. “Okay um, hmm…” He pondered, putting a finger to his chin. “Oh! What’s your favorite thing about me.” He smiled, putting a hand to his chest.

   “C’mon, be serious, you were the one who wanted to do this.” You said, slightly whining.

   “Aw, lighten up, honey, I’m only teasing~” He smiled. “Alright, where did you grow up?” He asked.

   Wow, an actual question, but you weren’t sure if he would know where you’d come from, he’s only been on the surface for about 2 years, would he have gotten familiar enough with world geography? Not knowing, you just gave a vague, general description. “I’m from a small town a little over a thousand miles west of here.” You explained. “I lived there all my life until I moved to this city about six years ago to go to college, and, I’ve been here since.” You replied.

   His face looking genuinely intrigued, he nodded. “Your turn.” He smiled.

   You paused a moment to think of a question. “When’s your birthday? You have a birthday right?” You asked.

   “Oh sweetie, of course I do, but I celebrate it three times a year.”

   “What does that mean?” You asked, cocking your head to the side.

   “Well, I celebrate the day I was born, the day Alphys gave me my older model, and then the day she gave me this one.” He said, gesturing to himself.

   “That's a lot of birthdays.” You replied.

   He nodded. “My actual birthday is February 14th, then, my second birthday is December 20th, and my last birthday is September 9th.”

   You paused. “Wait but … Did you really wait two months to unveil your new body?” You asked. He seemed to be a very impatient type of person.

   Mettaton put a hand to his chest, laughing. You furrowed your brow, not sure what was so funny. “Oh darling, I'll let you in on a little secret.” He said, leaning forward a bit. “I've had this body for a little over two years now, hun. I just decided, that for the long run, my ratings would skyrocket if I was my old model as I rose to fame, up here on the surface. Then, when the time was right, I decided to finally give the overgound a debut that everyone would be talking about for weeks. Aren't I brilliant?” He asked, smiling.

   You honestly had to agree with him. “Yeah actually, that was a really good idea.”

   He smiled. “Do you mind if I pause our little game for a moment, dear? Blooky’s been gone a while now.”

   “Of course.” You replied.

   Mettaton stood up from the couch and walked toward the room Napstablook headed into earlier. You stood up and followed, also wanting to make sure they were okay.

   Upon following the tall robot, you entered a room full of snails, they were all gathered around their little food areas, eating, and Napstablook was laying down on the floor.

   Mettaton put his hands on his hips and tapped his heeled food on the ground. “Blooky, what are you doing?”

   “Oh …. Hi Mettaton …. I saw the two of you out there having a good time without me ….. so …. I decided to eat a sandwich and practice the old family tradition …. Sorry ….” The small ghost said, in a monotone fashion.

   “Blooky, you know how much I hate that tradition, I don’t like seeing you do it.” Mettaton said with a frown.

   Napstablook glanced over to you. “Our old family tradition is …. after eating a good meal …. lying down on the ground and feeling like garbage….”

   You could see why Mettaton didn’t like it.

   “Blooky dear, please get off the floor.” Mettaton frowned. “I have something to show you.”

   “Oh …. Okay …. I suppose ….” the small ghost said, slowly floating up from the ground.

   “Follow me, the both of you.” Mettaton gestured, walking out of the room and over towards Napstablook’s computer. He bent forward, due to Napstablook not having a chair, and paused the music that had been playing. Opening up an internet browser, he began to quickly type.

   You leaned forward a bit to see what he was typing. “What?!” You half yelled.

   He had typed out your full name, which you had never told him, and clicked on the first link, bringing up the website of your online portfolio.

   “W-Wha, h-how?” You asked, dumbfounded.

   “Oh darling, it was easy. All I had to do was browse the internet of local art colleges, look at their lists of alumni, and find you. The web page had all your information, you know, your name, email address, website, contact info.” He said, standing up straight and looking down at you with a smile. He then turned to his cousin. “Now Blooky, I want you to look through their website and let me know in a few days whether or not you like what you see.”

   “Okay, hold up a second, what’s going on?” You asked, looking between the two of them.

   “Well ... I wanted it to be a surprise, but, Blooky’s coming out with their first album soon, and, well,  I’m looking around for the best artists in the business, up to my standards of course, and commission them to do the album cover art.”

   You weren’t sure if you were more surprised, or grateful upon hearing Mettaton’s confession. You were surprised that he thought your art was good enough to be on the cover of his cousin’s album, and you were grateful, well, for the same reason. You were touched, “I-I’m honored that you would think of my art so highly, but I wouldn’t say I’m one of the best in the business by a long shot.” You waved a hand dismissively.

   “I know that, sweetie, but what better way to get your name out there, than to do the number one best robot in the world’s, cousin’s, album art?” He asked.

   He had a point, if Napstablook liked your stuff, you might start getting more art related work.

   “I …. Like this one …. Or no …. This one …. No ….” Napstablook said, clicking through a lot of different pieces.

   “What kind of feelings are you trying to convey with your music?” You asked him.

   “Oh …. Um …. I dunno ….” He said, softly.

   “That’s alright.” You replied. “You still have time to figure it out.”

   They nodded, smiling softly.

   “Could we listen to some more?” You asked.

   “I … suppose.” The ghost nodded and opened up the music program again, playing another song.

   Rather than going back over to the couch, you knelt down, getting to the floor, and laying down onto your back.

   “What are you doing down there, sweetie?” Mettaton asked with a chuckle, leaning over, and looking down at you.

   “I propose you get rid of that old family tradition and make a new one.” You declared. “Instead of laying down on the ground and feeling like garbage, put on some nice music, and feel like … Not garbage.”

   “I guess I could …. give it a try ….” Napstablook said, floating down to the ground and laying beside you.

   You looked back up at Mettaton who was still standing. “Would you like to join us?” You asked.

   “Alright, why not.” He said with a shrug and laid down on the other side of you.

   You closed your eyes, taking in the clear sounds coming from the speakers. Not realizing it, but the soft, smooth tones of the current song were making you sleepy.

~~~

   “Darling, wake up.” You heard a sweet voice call, but still practically asleep, you rolled away from the noise.

   You heard the same voice speak to you again, but it was hazy and unclear. After a while, you felt your body being moved in some way and you began to wake up a bit more. Yawning, you rubbed your eyes and tried to speak, but your words just jumbled together into an incomprehensible set of syllables.

   “What was that?” You heard the voice ask, riddled with laugher.

   You pulled your hands away from your eyes and opened them, taking a moment to focus, Mettaton’s face was a mere few inches from yours. You were groggy and confused.

   “Good morning, sunshine.” He smiled brighter than he already was.

   Now almost fully awake, you looked around. You were still in Napstablook’s apartment, but Mettaton was holding you, not just holding you, but literally carrying you in his arms, as if you were his spouse he was carrying over the threshold. A wave of heat covered your body as you looked back up to the robot. “W-W-What are you doing?” You asked, in a wave of stutters.

   “Oh calm down, sweetie.” he said, setting you down on the couch. “I was only going to move you away from the middle of the floor, I didn’t want you to catch a cold.”

   You looked around, seeing the natural light had been replaced with lights from a chandelier hanging from the ceiling. “What time is it? How long did I sleep for?”

   “Hmmm, I think it might beee …  two on the morning or so?” He replied.

   “What?!” You exclaimed, jumping to your feet.

   Mettaton was taken over by a wave of laughter. “No no~ You were only sleeping for a mere half hour.” He reassured you “But my goodness, it looked like you were in the deepest sleep of your life. You looked precious.” The robot smiled.

   You turned away, becoming even more embarrassed, glancing around the room for a third time, you asked “Where did Napstablook go?”

   “Oh, Blooky had to step out for a minute to go buy some more snail food.” he replied.

   You nodded and suddenly heard your stomach growl. Blushing a bit you turned back to Mettaton. “Hey, I think I'm gonna get going.” You said.

   “Huh? Already?” He pouted.

   You nodded. “Yeah, I'm starting to get a little hungry, and I don't eat ghost or … Robot food?” You asked, not sure if he needed to eat.

   He chuckled. “I don't need to eat, honey, but I can if I want to.”

   You nodded and grabbed your coat from the back of the couch.

   “Hold on, darling.” He said “Do you even know how to get home from here?”

   You paused “Uh… No…” You admitted. “But, I can probably wing it.”

   “No no, I will not have one of my dearest friends wandering the city trying to find their way home. I'll walk you.” He said sternly, picking up his own coat, the fur one, and put it on.

   You knew you couldn't get him to change his mind, even if you tried, you just caved and agreed. “Fine, fine, you can walk me home.” You said, admitting defeat. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you ever get embarrassed at the things you write yourself? Yeah, this is was so cute. 
> 
> Anyway, I really enjoyed writing this chapter, it was really good and pure.
> 
> Thanks for taking the time to read. If you have any general comments, critique, or suggestions, don't hesitate to leave a comment. I would really appreciate suggestions of any kind.
> 
> I would really really like suggestions for possible late chapters, I'm running a little low on ideas and would appreciate the help!


	8. Sweetheart

   The two of you exited the huge building and Mettaton began to walk down the street in the original direction you came from, so you followed.

   Just so the awkward silence wouldn’t continue any further, you spoke up. “Um, Mettaton? We only got two questions in when we were going back and forth earlier, should we continue?” You asked. You actually didn’t mind if he asked you questions or not, but you really wanted to know more about him.

   “Oh, what a fabulous idea to pass the time.” He smiled. “I’m pretty sure it was my turn, so.” He paused, putting a finger to his mouth as he walked. “What does your dream life look like?”

   Your dream life … Honestly, no one has asked you that since high school, and it used to be that you wanted to become an animator, but going to art school and realizing that the constant repetition wasn’t actually your thing, you changed your major. You answer with a simple, “I don’t know.”

   “Oh darling, you have to have at least some type of idea.” amused at the fact that you didn’t know.

   “All I know, is that I’d be rich enough to not have to cook for myself.” You said, looking up towards the tops of the high buildings as you walked.

   “And why is that?” He asked with a chuckle.

   “Oh believe me.” You looked back toward him “You do not, I repeat, do not, want to see me in the kitchen. I’m a mess, I make a mess, I hardly know how to cook, I practically live on sandwiches, salad, takeout, and the occasional frozen dinner, I’m lucky I haven’t died yet. Either from the amount of sodium I consume, or from almost setting my apartment on fire.”

   Mettaton’s face seemed to display a bunch of different emotions, amusement, disbelief, pity, and probably disgust. “Oh, honey.”

   Yep, he sounded pretty pitiful. All you could do was turn your head forward again, and force a laugh. “Other than not having to cook for myself, I’d probably want a huge bathtub, like, one the size of a jacuzzi. But, that’s it.”

   Glancing back over to Mettaton, he was covering his mouth with hand, laughing. “Oh, dear, you sure are something else.”

   You weren’t sure if that was a good or a bad thing, then, you asked him the first impulse question that came to your head. “Do you know anyone that you just really want to punch in the face?”

   Mettaton started laughing even more, his laugh was so … Charming. Wiping an imaginary tear from his left eye as he calmed down, and replied. “Actually, there may be one person.” All traces of laughter gone as he answered “Sans.”

   Puzzled, you asked “Sans? The skeleton? Papyrus’ brother? What did he ever do to- Oh no, it’s his fashion sense, isn’t it.” You covered your mouth, gasping.

   He chuckled and dismissed you with a wave. “No no, well, yes, he has a very … interesting, approach to clothing choices, but that’s not why I’d like to punch him.” He sighed and said in an almost serious tone. “I do like Sans, but, he knows a secret of mine and I’m afraid he might start telling people, and I’m not very fond about how he practically knows everything about everyone.”

   “What’s your secret?” You asked.

   He wagged a finger. “Secrets are private, honey.” replying, then putting a finger to his mouth. As his finger rested at his mouth, he started to think. He then looked down at you, leaning a bit toward your face. “I have my next question.”

   “Shoot.” You replied.

   You saw a playful smirk spread across his lips. “Do you like anyone?”

   It took you a second, you looked at him with a blank expression. Trying your hardest not to blush, you waved both your hands quickly and dismissively. “W-What makes you think I have time to meet people, working at a library all day?”

   “Maybe someone’s come to you at the library.” he said, shrugging as he stood up straight again.

   You looked down at your feet as you walked, trying to think of something better to say. Would it really hurt all that much if you told him a sliver of the truth? You pondered a moment and decided to say, “Actually,” turning your head to him. “I don’t know. I honestly don’t really know if I like someone. It’s been a really long time since I have, so, I still need to work some things out. I’m not really sure if I know what the feelings of ‘like’ feel like anymore, and don’t even get me started on love, even that’s almost completely foreign to me.”

   He actually looked a bit surprised, his eye blinking a few times. And you weren’t sure, but, you might have heard the sound of whirring fans coming from inside him.

   “What?” You asked, not knowing the reason for his confusion.

   “You answered that rather… Eloquently. I wasn’t expecting it.” He replied.

   “Oh well …” You blushed and rubbed the back of your neck. “Thanks.” Thinking of another question to change the topic, you looked up to him. “Mettaton, can you sleep?” You asked. “Oh, that’s not my question, I need to know in order to ask my question.”

   He chuckled. “I sleep in the sense the you put a computer to sleep. So, I guess so?”

   Following up with another question, you asked, “Can you dream?”

   “Of course I can, sweetie.” He smiled.

   “What was the last thing you dreamt about?” You asked.

   Looking over to you he chuckled. “Thats an interesting question, darling. Why would you ask that?”

   You shrugged. “It was the first thing that came to mind, really. Well, it was either that, or, ‘what’s your favorite color?’, but I’m pretty sure it’s pink.”

   “Right you are, it is. But, as for the last dream I had …” He trailed off, pondering. “I think … Maybe I was … Swimming.”

   “Swimming, huh?” You asked rhetorically, then frowning a bit, remembering that since he’s a robot, he can’t swim. But you weren’t thinking because of the fact he would short circuit, but the fact that he would be too heavy to float.

   He smiled and patted your head. “It’s alright, darling, I don’t mind it.” He said in a comforting tone, knowing that you were probably thinking about the fact as a whole that he can’t go in water. “Now then.” He said. “Do you have any other talents besides your art?”

   “I don’t think so.”

   “Hmm …” Mettaton pondered. “Maybe you have other talents, but just aren’t aware of them.”

   You simply shrugged in response.

   You walked a few more moments, and looking around, you realized you now knew where you were. The fork in the road, almost the exact spot where Mettaton lent you his coat.

   “Well darling, It’s been a great afternoon.” He started.

   But, you looked up to him, stopping him. “Wait, um, you can keep walking with me, i-if you want to. I don’t want to keep you from anything.”

   He smiled. “No, I don’t have anywhere to be, I’m all yours.”

   Flattered by his words, you blushed and nodded, leading the way and walking down your street.

   Walking with you Mettaton spoke up. “Your turn, dear.”

   “Oh right, um.” You paused to think. “Are you afraid of anything?”

   “Of course I am, sweetie, isn’t everyone? You didn’t think just because I’m a robot, I’m fearless, did you darling?” He asked, placing a hand on his chest, exaggerating his disbelief.

   You shrugged “I dunno.”

   He chuckled, “I’m afraid of power outages.”

   He made a valid point. “I can understand why.”

   “Ugh, I get staticy just thinking about it.” He said in a disgusted tone while making a shivering motion and rubbing up and down his arms, which were covered in his fur coat.

   “Is static like, the robot equivalent to human goose bumps?”

   “In a way, yes.” He replied. “But I can also get staticy for other reasons.”

   “Like?”

   “Um, when I get scared or startled, a lot of static usually builds up, and, sometimes when I’m really mad.” He replied. “So you better watch out, dearie, and don’t try to scare me, or you might stop both our hearts.” he ended with a wink, that, or you keep misinterpreting blinks. Wait, did he even need to blink, considering it’s a natural human reflex, and he’s well … not?

   Your cheeks flushed lightly and you turned back to look ahead of you. “S-So my apartment building is right up over here.”

   After walking a few more feet, the two of you then reached the front of your apartment building. The exterior was vaguely similar to a pre-war style building that would be found in New York City. “I-I’m on the fourth floor.” You said, pointing up.

   “I love this architecture.” He said, stroking the building with a hand.

   You nodded as you unlocked the initial door to the building and opened the door to main hallway. There were doors along it to the other apartments in the building, as well as a stairway off to the side to reach the higher levels. You wanted to invite Mettaton up to get his coat and scarf back, but you also couldn’t remember how messy your apartment was, and didn’t really feel like hearing his comments, but it was inevitable, he would always make comments. He’s Mettaton.

   You turned to him and decided to ask him. “Hey so … Um, I still have the coat and scarf you leant me … Do … Do you want to come upstairs with me? To get it?” You asked. Ugh, you sounded like such an idiot, why couldn’t you just talk to him normally?

   “To your apartment?” He asked, almost as if he didn’t expect you to invite him in.

   “Where else would I be inviting you?” You asked in an amused tone.

   He pouted. “Don’t tease me, darling.”

   You put your hand to your mouth, covering a laugh as you walked into the building. “Close the door behind you.” You said as you began making your way up the stairs, after a few steps, you head the robot’s heels click behind you. You two eventually made it to the fourth floor. Walking over to your door that read 402. Unlocking the door you opened it and cautiously flipped the light switch. It wasn’t as bad as you had thought in terms of cleanliness, but man, was your apartment boring. Rubbing the back of your neck as you walked in, you looked up to Mettaton. “So uh … This is my apartment.” You said.

   You weren’t sure sure how to describe the look on his face, but you knew he wasn’t happy. His mouth looked halfway between a grin and a grimace, his visible eye was open wide, very wide, and you were pretty sure his pupil had turned into a broken heart. “How nice.” He said lying through his teeth, and literally through his teeth, since they were clenched tightly.

   “It’s not my fault it looks like this.” You frowned and crossed your arms. “I just moved in.”

   “Just? And how far away was this ‘just’” he asked, holding his hands up and air-quoting with his fingers while he said just the second time.

   You looked down and mumbled.

   “What was that?” He asked leaning closer to you.

   “About … Three months ago.” you said, ashamed of yourself.

   Mettaton’s jaw went slack, looking at you like you had just told him the worst news of his life, well, in his mind, it probably was. His shoulders lowered, his fur coat sliding off and falling to the floor. He staggered back, hitting his back to the wall with a loud thunk, proceeding to bring a hand to his face, pushing his hair back with a hand, leaving it at the back of his head, as he slid down the the wall and finally sat on the ground.

   You sighed as you closed the door he didn’t shut. “Oh my god, stop being such a drama queen.” You said, then, changing your tone to that of teasing. “Oh, I am _SO_ sorry that I work a full time job,” You said dramatically as you exaggerated your movements and put your hands on your hips, “and that I don’t have the time to turn my apartment into a blissful oasis.” You finished, falling dramatically onto his outstretched legs, sticking a leg in the air, and pretending to swoon with a hand on your forehead, obviously making fun of him. Out of your peripheral vision, you could see him look down at you, laying across his lap.

   As soon as you finished, you heard loud whirring computer-like noises coming from the robot you were laying across. You lowered your leg and looked up to him, hearing and seeing electric pops coming from his chest plate. You sat up, sitting on his lap to get a better view of his face, his hair was still pushed back, so you could see both his eyes open wide as his pupils were twitching back and forth sporadically. “M-Mettaton?” You asked nervously, reaching a hand to his face. “Are you oka-ow.” As you touched him, the surface was hot, causing you to flinch and withdraw your hand.

   Worried that he was going to shut down, you quickly climbed from his lap, and rushed to find something to fan him with. You found an empty folder at the work desk next to your bed and rushed back over to the whirring robot. Straddling his lap, you quickly used the folder to fan his chest plate, your eyes darting back and forth between his face and his sparking chest. You began to panic a bit more than you already were and fanned quicker.

   After a bit more fanning, the static pops began to die down and his pupils’ twitching slowed. “M-M-Mettaton?” You asked, in a worried, panicky tone as you fanned him more.

   In a wave of glitches, he replied. “D-Dar-li-Darling, h-h-hold-hold on a-a-a se-s-sec-second.”

   Still worried, you continued to fan him vigorously. After a little while longer, the whirring noises within him started to grow quiet, but you still continued to fan him, your eyes glued to his face.

   “H-Hun, you ca-can stop fanning me n-now.” He said, less glitching in his voice, and his eyes finally blinking.

   “B-But, bu-but what if,” You said to him, your voice riddled with panic and worry as you kept fanning his chest.

   Realizing how scared you were, Mettaton reached up and placed his hands on either side of your head, looking deeply into your eyes, speaking softly and sincerely. “Sweetheart, I’m right here, everything is alright.” All the glitches in his voice were gone.

   The folder slipped from your fingertips. “I-I’m sorry I … I just got really scared, a-and, I, um.” You stammered. “A-Are you okay? What happened?”

   “I simply overheated, darling.” He said still softly and in a reassuring tone.

   “S-Simply? Y-You were sparking and whirring.” you replied, still worried.

   “Darling, I’m fine, it happens.” He replied, removing his hands from your face.

   “What? It happens? Why on earth did it happen this time?”

   “I … ah … eh …” His speech cutting off as he tried to find the right words. “Well I’ll be damned if I know.” He said in a confused but slight stern tone.

   But his loss for words before saying that, made you wonder whether or not that was true. “I mean, it couldn’t have completely been caused by the fact that I live in a lifeless apartment. There must be something wrong with you.” You said, looking down at his chest plate. “M-Maybe we should call Dr. Alphys.”

   As you still sat there in his lap, he took your hands softly into his. “Darling, sweetheart, really, I’m fine. I just need to go home and recharge.”

   You nodded hesitantly, still really nervous. “Okay …. If you say so.” There was nothing you could really do, as scared as you were, it wasn’t your call to make.  

   “I also need to get home and start planning.” He said, interrupting your thoughts.

   “Planning? For what?” You asked, furrowing your brow.

   ‘To fix up this horribly dull apartment, my dear.”

   You sighed. “Mettaton, I don’t have the money right now for a complete home makeover.”

   He laughed. “That’s why I’m taking care of it, silly.”

   You were going to wave your hands to dismiss him, but he was still holding them. “W-What? No, I can’t have you do that!”

   “Well it’s too bad, because I’m going to do it anyway.”

   You sighed. Looking at him, he was smiling, excited to be doing this for you. Without realizing it, you began to look at his face more intently, never really getting the chance to see him with his right eye uncovered.

   “Darling?” He asked, grabbing your attention.

   You blinked a few times “Oh, sorry.” You turned your head away from his face and your eyes darted around a bit. Your body heat began to rise as you realized you were straddling his lap. Not looking up to him, you asked. “D-Do you mind letting go of my hands, so that maybe I can … G-Get off your lap?”

   “Oh, sorry, sweetheart.” He replied, letting go of your hands.

   You climbed off of him and held your hand out to him, to help him stand.

   He took it gently and stood, but wobbling a bit, leaning on you slightly for support. “Sorry dear, my legs must still be calibrating.”

   “No no, take all the time you need.” You insisted, even though he was pretty heavy.

   After a few moments, he was able to stand without leaning on you. “I’m all set now, honey.”

   You nodded. “Um … So … Thank you for walking me home.”

   “It was my pleasure.” Mettaton replied, as he bent down to pick up his fur coat which had fallen to the ground earlier, putting it back on.

   “Oh, let me get you the coat and scarf you lent me.” You replied, turning and going over to your coat rack, gently taking the garments off it. As you walked back over to him, you held them out. “T-Thank you for letting me borrow them, I-I’m sorry I didn’t return them sooner.”

   Mettaton took them from you, draping them over his arm. “That’s alright, hun.” He replied. “I should be thanking you, though.”

   “For what?” You asked.

   “For fanning me when I was having my little, ‘breakdown’. Who knows what would have happened if you didn’t.”

   You blushed and rubbed the back of your neck. “N-No problem.”

   “Anyway, I must get going.” He replied as he opened your front door. “I’ll see you soon, my darling.” He smiled brightly.

   Waving, you replied. “B-Bye.”

   He shut the door behind him and you could hear the click of his heels make their way down the hall. Once unable to hear him you threw yourself onto your couch. “Oh … My god.” You said aloud to yourself. What was that? All you wanted was for Mettaton to get his things back, but he comes in and crashes. Was it really because of your horrible apartment? No, it couldn't be just that. He’s dramatic but his systems wouldn’t fail or whatever just because you don’t have time to decorate. What else could it have been? What were you doing before he crashed? Mocking him. Did he get mad at you for that? No, he didn’t seem like the type to get mad at something like that. You were only teasing him. You got lost deeper into your thoughts, but decided to give it a rest and think about what else happened, preferably after his meltdown. Suddenly you shot up, into an upright sitting position.

**  
**Did he call you ‘sweetheart’?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This by far is probably my favorite chapter that I've written. I just, Its so good. Like, Oh my god, i don't mean to be vain or whatever, I fucking love it.
> 
> So, what happened with that meltdown, huh? Hm? 
> 
> Also, if you guys have tumblr and wanna follow me, by all means, go ahead, my url is the same as my username here, koalolive.  
> And, If you guys end up ever drawing fanart, or talk about the fic or something, totally @ me, and tag it as 'bookmarks' so I can find it! 
> 
> Thanks for taking the time to read. If you have any general comments, critique, or suggestions, don't hesitate to leave a comment. I would really appreciate suggestions of any kind.


	9. Calling

   A late afternoon after getting out of work, you were starving, so you had decided to stuff your face at a local pizza place. You were silently sitting alone at a small booth in the corner, waiting for your order to come.

   Your mind wandering a bit, you started thinking about what you always end up thinking about, the goddamn robot. You hadn’t seen him since the evening he had his breakdown three days ago, and you wondered if he was doing alright. Had he taken up your advice to go see Dr. Alphys? You hoped so, you were worried about him. He had a live show last night, like he does every Monday, along with Wednesday and Friday, but you didn’t get to see it because of work. You hoped he wasn’t pushing himself too hard. Maybe you should go visit him? No. Why in the world would you go visit him? Even if you tried, you’d probably get lost trying to find the place. All you really wanted, is to know that he was okay. On the other hand, he called you ‘sweetheart’, and ‘my darling’, you were almost positive that he had never called you sweetheart before, ever, or using the inflection of ‘my’ before calling anyone, let alone you, ‘darling’. Well, maybe it was because of his malfunction?

   Suddenly, you were pulled from your thoughts by a startling bang on the window next to you. You looked over, seeing Frisk’s face pressed up against the glass, then, Sans’ skull clunked against it, and finally, seeing Toriel behind the two, scolding them.

   You covered a mouth, laughing, as the three of them made their way over to the door and walked inside. Their small group of three went to an empty booth a few away from yours, and as soon as they were seated, Frisk got back up and ran over to you, sitting in the empty seat across from you.

   “Well, hello Frisk.” You smiled.

   Frisk happily waved.

   “How was school today?”

   They gave you two big thumbs up.

   You smiled, leaning over and ruffling their hair. They giggled. “You here with Sans and Toriel to eat dinner?”

   They nodded and smiled, pointing to a picture of a kids meal.

   “Looks delish’.”

   A moment later, Sans walked over and waved. “Hey, how you guys **dough** ing over here?”

   You rolled your eyes and Frisk stuck out their tongue, making a raspberry noise.

   “Hey kid, you mind if I take your spot?” He asked Frisk.

   Frisk shook their head and got up, moving out of the way, and heading back over to Toriel.

   Sans sat down in Frisk’s place, smirking. “Hey, how’s it going? _**Sweetheart**_.” He said, putting thick emphasis on sweetheart, obviously not attempting to actually flirt with you.

   You looked at him in disbelief. How, how on earth could he even know? Did Sans and Mettaton have some type of Sunday brunch? Or maybe Sans has wiretaps around the city? Or, maybe he’s so bored with his own life that he has to keep following you around.

   Your eyes narrowed, mouth turning into a scowl. “Are you fucking serious right now.” You said softly, with a lot of feeling. “How do you even know?”

   “People talk.”

   “You told me that last time.” You snapped.

   “Grapevine?

   “That too.” saying as you clenched your teeth.

   “That’s all I got.” He said with a shrug.

   You groaned and laid your head face down on the table. “Can’t you keep your bony little fingers off my love life?”

   “Probably not.”

   You groaned.

   “I’m glad you’re making progress, though.”

   “Your praise means nothing to me.” You replied.

   You heard him laugh a bit. “You sure? It’s the **yeast** I can do.”

   Shooting your head up, you pointed toward the table where Toriel and Frisk were. “Leave.” You demanded.

   “Alright, alright.” He said, standing up outta the booth. “Seeya later, kid.”

   Watching him walk away, you groaned and laid your head onto the table again.

~~~

   After finishing up your food, you headed home after the afternoon you just had. You were exhausted, yesterday, one of your co-workers ended up calling out, and you had to stay for an extra shift, so you ended up working for practically 13 hours straight. Upon getting home last night at ten, you stayed up doing work until midnight and had to wake up this morning at seven, to be into work at eight. Now, it being almost 5:30, you were practically dragging your feet home.

   Making your way up the four flights of stairs, you yawned. It was way too early to go to bed, but maybe you could take a quick nap? You ignored that idea, knowing that you always end up sleeping through your naps. Unlocking your door, you entered your apartment, dropping your bag and coat onto the ground as you made your way to the desk next to your bed. You sat down and opened up your laptop, clicking the internet to check your email.

You furrowed your brow when seeing an email that read exactly like this.

**______**

**Subject: Open this asap, darling**

   My dear, why on earth is it so difficult to get ahold of you? I tried the library, you weren’t there, your home, you weren’t there either, where did my lovely friend go? So, instead of just waiting around, for the moment I end up just happening to see you again, I decided to email you, so I could give you my cellphone number of course. I have some very important news from Blooky. Here’s my number, (xxx) xxx-xxxx, so contact me as soon as you get this, okay?

   Love,

      Mettaton xoxo

**_____**

   Blushing as you finished his letter, you reached into your pocket for your phone. He wrote ‘love’ instead of ‘sincerely’ or ‘from’ … You shook your head. No, he probably ends all his emails that way, but even so, it made your heart race. You looked down at your phone, pondering whether or not to call or text him. You decided on texting him.

   Not even 30 seconds after you sent him the text, your phone starts ringing. Putting it to your ear you ask, “H-Hello?”

   “Darling! Angel! Sweetheart! How wonderful it is to hear you voice again.”

   “H-Hi Mettaton.” You replied, he sounded okay.

   “I have just the best news for you, Blooky wants you to do their designs for their album cover!”

   Blinking in disbelief before you responded. “W-What? They really want me to do it?”

   “Yes! What was it you told me, Blooky?” There was a pause. “They said that they like way you illustrate the stars, the big groupings, you know? With all the colors? The um …”

   “Galaxies?” You asked

   “Yes! Galaxies, thank you, darling. Blooky really likes the way you draw them.”

   You nodded even though he couldn’t visibly see you. “W-Will you tell them I say thank you?”

   Mettaton’s voice muffled due to the distance from him and the receiver. “They said ‘thank you’ Blooky!” Hearing his voice at a normal tone, he said. “I just wanted to share the amazing news with you, so I’ll let you go n-”

   You cut him off. “W-Wait, Mettaton, don’t hang up.”

   “Hm? What is it, honey?”

   “I … Um … Are you doing better than you were the other night?”

   “Oh but of course, darling, why do you ask?”

   You paused, looking down at your lap. “I ... was worried about you.” You said softly.

   Before he spoke, there was a pause, one that lasted longer than the one you made. “Oh, sweetie, I’m fine. I got home, recharged, and the next morning I went and saw Alphie, just in case.”

   You exhaled in relief. “That’s good, I’m glad you went to see Alphys. Did she know what happened?”

   “Oh, well … She said I was alright, and it was probably caused by my ... anger.”

   His hesitations didn’t convince you, but you let is slide. “Alright, well, as long as you’re okay.” You replied.

   “Speaking of my little breakdown, and your apartment that caused it, what kind of color scheme are you going for?”

   You rolled your eyes. “Mettaton, I know I said you could redecorate, and I really appreciate you wanting to do this, but I really can’t let you.”

   “Whaaaaaat? Why not?” He asked, whining slightly.

   “Because, It’s so expensive to do and-”

   He cut you off “Darling, I told you I would handle all the expenses.”

   “Mettaton … Please, If my apartment really upsets you that much, I can do my own redecorating.”

   “No.” He said sternly, probably pouting..

   “Okay, listen, you said you wanted to commission me to do Napstablook’s album art, right? How about instead of paying me in money, you redecorate my apartment.”

   There was a pause. “Well … Alright, fine.” He said in a defeated tone.

   “Okay, good.”

   “When are you free so we can go over Blooky’s album and color swatches for your apartment?” He asked.

   “Oh uh … Well … How long will we need?” You asked, reaching into your bag to take out your planner.

   “Hmm, a while, a few hours maybe?”

   “I’m free on … Thursday after four, Saturday after two, and all of Sunday, if that helps.” You replied.

   “Thursday sounds delightful, hun, I’ll pick you up from work, alright?”

   “Oh uh, yeah, okay.”

   “Great, see you then, sweetheart!” He said, then hanging up the phone,

Even though he had already hung up, you replied. “S-Seeya.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is more of a laid back chapter, but setting up for something great~
> 
> Also, Sans, WHY?
> 
> Another Alsoooo, I'm thinking of making a playlist on 8Tracks for this fic, and I'm open to suggestions for songs, because its actually a lot more difficult than you would think. I wanted to put a song to kind of summarize each chapter. I have a song for chapter 1 already, (Sarah Smiles by Panic! At the Disco) but thats it really. So, If you have any suggestions, let me know. 
> 
> Last also, if you want talk about the fic or make any fanart or whatever, tag it for me as well as 'undertale bookmarks' on tumblr, Aaaand if you want to follow me, hmu at koalolive.tumblr.com
> 
> Thanks for taking the time to read. If you have any general comments, critique, or suggestions, don't hesitate to leave a comment. I would really appreciate suggestions of any kind.


	10. Galaxies

   Between when Mettaton had called you on Tuesday, and now, two days later, at 3:35 on a Thursday, the two of you have been texting, as well as snapchatting, constantly. Being able to text him, you were able to ask him so many more things, like what it was like growing up in the underground, and what his life had been like until now. You were even able to ask him silly things, like if he could taste, and if he could, what was his favorite thing to eat. Because of his magic, he definitely can eat, but he doesn't have to, and his favorite type of food is just sweets, he didn’t have a definite answer so he had to get back to you on that. You were also able to find out what his favorite word was, it was _mellifluous_ , not because it was fun to say, but because he liked its meaning, a sweet and smooth sound that’s pleasing to listen to. He was probably referring to his own voice.

   Last night, he insisted sending you pictures of what he was doing backstage as he was getting ready for his show, so, he made you download snapchat. Not that you didn’t know what it was, you just never had a reason to actually get it before. So, for him, you downloaded it. He sent you countless pictures and short videos of what he was doing for the show that night, since you were at work and couldn’t watch it. His makeup looked amazing, wait, how do robots even wear makeup? Is it painted on? Anyway, at first, the only pictures you sent back to him were of the empty library, or purposely blurry pictures of the book you were reading, with the caption _‘avant garde’_. After a while of that, he got fed up with you and insisted that you take pictures and videos of yourself to send back. So, in the dead library, you sent him videos of you groaning about how bored you were, and occasional silly duck faces. All of that went on until his show started, then every commercial break, he would send you short little videos about what he just did and how the ratings were doing. After he was done with his show, around the same time you were done at work, you sent each other snaps while walking home, and once you got home, you sent him a text, letting him know that you were heading to bed. He replied, telling you that he was hoping you have sweet dreams. He’s so cute.

   Since your boss, Winnie, trusted you so much with the library when she wasn’t around, which was practically all the time since she only came in three days a week, she let you basically run the place. It was another busy-ish afternoon around the time when kids and teens would be in the library after school. You were putting some returns back as your high school co-worker was at the desk handling checkouts. As you pushed the book cart back toward the front desk to grab some more returns, you sent Mettaton a picture of you with a bored, lifeless expression with the caption ‘i cant wait to get out of here’.

   You heard someone clear their throat as you sent it and looked up, it was your co-worker. “What?”

   “What are you doing?” They asked.

   “Does it matter?” You asked, as you began to put books onto the cart.

   “I guess not.” They said with a shrug. “I was just curious.”

   “Well if you really wanna know, I was sending a friend a snap.” You replied as you continued to put the rest of the books onto the cart.

   “Snap? Like snapchat?” They asked, their interest piqued. “I didn’t know you had one, you should add me.”

   “Really? You want to add me on snapchat?” You asked, raising an eyebrow. “Outside of work, you and I don’t really talk.”

   “Yeah … I guess you’re right.” They replied.

   You felt a small vibration in your pocket, taking out your phone, it was a snap reply from Mettaton. You opened it, it was a picture of him posing a bit dramatically with a hand to his chest and it looked like he was in the elevator of his high end apartment building. The caption under it read, _‘Don’t worry, be there soon’_. You giggled and said aloud, “What a dork.”

   “Who?”

   You looked up seeing your co-worker looking at you curiously.

   “Oh, just my friend.” you said, waving dismissively. “I’m gonna go back to putting away the rest of these books before I leave.” You replied.

   “Okay, enjoy yourself.” They said with a wave.

   You waved back as you pushed the cart into an aisle of books and took a picture of you giving him the ‘okay’ sign with your fingers and captioned it, ‘nice’.

   Finishing putting the books away in about 15 or so minutes, you made your way back over to the desk.

   Your co-worker was checking out someone’s books and you leaned against the wall, waiting for them to finish so you could ask them something. As you waited, your phone buzzed and you took it from your pocket. Another snap. You opened it, it was a blurry picture of Mettaton rushing through one of the parks nearby, a few temmies were following close behind him. You put a hand over your mouth, attempting to stifle your laughter. You slid down the wall as you laughed, crunching down into a ball and covering your mouth, trying not to make too much of a scene. But, before stopping, you took a short video of you laughing.

   When finished, you wiped your eyes and looked up, your co-worker, looking down at you from their seat at the desk, and eyebrow raised.

   “Hold on.” You said, then, stood back up as you typed out ‘Oh my god’ over the the playing video. You sent it and looking over to you co-worker, you explained. “Sorry, my friend sent me this really blurry picture of him getting chased by like, four temmies.”

   “Oh my god, that sounds hilarious.” They laughed softly.

   “Oh hey, do you think I can scoot out a few minutes early?” You asked.

   “No.”

   “What? Why not?” You frowned.

   “Last week I asked you if I could go early and you told me no.” They said, crossing their arms.

   “You wanted to leave almost an hour early and still get paid for it. I want to leave like 10 minutes early, and I don’t even care about the money.” You groaned.

   “Well too bad, because I say no.”

   Groaning again, you leaned back against the wall and saw that Mettaton’s next snap was a video. You glanced around, seeing your co-worker browsing the internet on the computer at the desk, and the library wasn’t dead quiet due to the soft bustle of students, so, you didn’t bother plugging in headphones. You lowered the volume on your phone before playing it. When you did, it was a a few seconds of him saying “Don’t you dare laugh at me like that. I’ll send some temmies after you and see how you feel.” As he said that, he was smoothing out his hair.

   Before you got a chance to send a response you saw your co-worker looking at you, out of your peripheral vision.

   You looked up from your phone, they looked astonished. “What?”

   “Was that Mettaton? Are you snapchatting with Mettaton right now??” They asked quickly and softly.

   “Uhhhhhh.” Was all you could say. You weren’t sure how to respond.

   “I thought you said you weren’t that close with him.”

   “Things change.” You replied simply.

   “Will you introduce him to me?” They asked, hopefully.

   “Didn’t you meet him last week when he came in?” You asked.

   “Yeah, but that was as a fan. I want you to introduce me as a friend.” They smiled.

   You sighed. “Dude, I’m hardly even your friend, how are you gonna ask me to do this?”

   Their smile turned into a frown. “You don’t have to be such an asshole about it.”

   You groaned and looked up at the clock on the wall, it reading exactly 3:59. “I’m outta here.” You wrote down what time you were leaving on your slip and slid your coat on as you picked up your bag.

   “Alright then, bye.” They said rudely.

   You rolled your eyes and walked out the door. You looked down at your phone as you were walking over to the side of the building, and not paying attention to where you were going, you bumped into someone. As you were about to fall back, you felt an arm wrap around your waist, stopping you from falling. You looked up, it was Mettaton, wearing a startled expression. Of course it was Mettaton.

   “Oh my goodness, are you alright, darling?”

   Blushing, you nodded. “Y-Yeah.”

   Helping you upright, he smiled. “Good.”

   Looking up at him, you noticed a leaf in his hair, probably from the temmie attack. You reached up, trying to grab the leaf, but he was too tall, why did he have to be, like, over a foot taller than you.

   “What are you doing?” He chuckled.

   “You have a leaf stuck in your hair, I’m trying to get it out. You’re too tall.”

   “A leaf? Why on earth wo- the temmies.” He said, then cutting himself off angrily. He leaned down for you to get the leaf out.

   You smiled and took it out for him, then smoothed out his hair. “There, all better.”

   He stood up straight and smiled. “Thank you, darling. Now, to your house, dear?” He asked.

   “Oh uh, yeah, that’s fine. As long as you don’t explode.” You replied.

   “I’ll be fine darling, at least I know what I’m getting myself into.” He said, waving you off.

~~~

   The two of you eventually made it to your apartment and you opened the door cautiously. The last time you brought Mettaton over, your place was a little cluttered, like dishes in the sink, clothes thrown about, well, not that he even saw any of that because of his meltdown. Today, not sure if the two of you would be going to his place or yours, you decided to clean up just in case, your apartment was still horrible like last time, but at lease it was clean.

   You looked up at him nervously, he was rubbing his temples with a gloved hand. “Um, Mettaton?”

   He pulled his hand away, “I’m alright darling.” He shut the door behind him. “Now let’s get started talking about Blooky’s album as quick as possible so we can move on to … this.” He used a hand to gesture to everything. He then walked over to you couch and sat down on it.

   “Just give me one second before we start.” You replied, walking over to where your desk was next to your bed and grabbed your laptop, then, going to your kitchen cabinets to find something to eat. There was nothing, you forgot to go food shopping. You sighed and walked back over to Mettaton and sat beside him on the couch. “Okay.” You looked up to him. “What did Napstablook have in mind for a cover design?” You asked, opening up your laptop and started a new word document to start writing down notes.

   “Well, I know for a fact they like the, um ... “ He paused. “Galaxies.”

   You smiled and nodded as you typed out ‘galaxies’ into the document. “Okay, did they say if they had any other ideas? Or if they have a title picked out yet?”

   “Oh, hm … I don’t know if they have a title yet … Is that going to be a problem?”

   You typed out some stuff into your laptop as you replied. “No, I can just add it using photoshop later.”

   “Alright, also, I think Blooky wanted to know if you could put them into the illustration as well.”

   “Yeah, that’s possible.” You replied, not looking up from your laptop, as you typed that information, as well as added some possible concept ideas.

   “Oh wonderful.” You heard him clap his gloved hands together.

   You looked over to him “Does Napstablook always wear their headphones?” You asked.

   Mettaton nodded as he was glancing around the room.

   You typed some more. “Okay, I think I actually may have some really good ideas.”

   “That’s wonderful darling, so are we all set? I mean, not that I don’t want to rush this, I just … Can’t stand not getting any progress on your home.” He said in a slight tone of disgust.

   “Yeah yeah, we’re all set, we can go over redecorating.” You replied, closing your laptop.

   “Great!” He said, standing up. “Okay, so to start, we need to gut the entire place.”

   “No.”

   “Whaaaat? Why not?”

   You sighed and stood up. “Mettaton, this is a rented apartment, I can’t just take out walls and stuff. You can make due with the space I have.”

   He groaned. “Fine.” He then looked over the apartment again. “What kind of color scheme do you want? This puke green color is hideous.”

   You paused and looked around. “Maybe … A muted lavender color?” You asked.

   “Hmmm, maybe I can work with that … White and green accents ... Maybe a little splash of indigo here and there.” He said, talking aloud to himself.

   You sat back down on the couch and watched him pace around the room, talking to himself. “Ok, we can’t do anything with the kitchen space so thank goodness it’s white, I’ll get you a new little table set for here, a new couch, coffee table, television stand, maybe curtains instead of those blinds, a nice sheer fabric perhaps. Oh, then we need to get some decorations on these walls, honestly darling, how can you be an artist without art on your walls?” He continued to talk as he made his way over to the corner of the studio apartment where your bed was. “You might just be able to get away with this bed frame, but you need new sheets, these are so boring, I don’t even want to know what the thread count might be. Maybe a new bureau and bedside table to match. Then you have this big clunky work desk, you need a, what are they called, the ones that flip up?”

   “A drafting table? I don’t need one of those.” You replied.

   “Darling, I saw a video the other day about how leaning over all the time isn’t good for humans backs. So you’re getting one.”

   “No Mettaton, I don’t want one.” You protested.

   He sighed. “Fine, I’ll just get you a better desk, this one looks like it’s about to fall apart.”

   You stood up and went over to your kitchen again.

   Mettaton continued to go on “Okay, soooo we need more decorations for your room area as well, and we need to put some rugs down onto these floors, they are completely empty with just these hardwoods.”

   You opened your fridge as you listened to him go on.

   “Alright, so, I think you need more light in here too, the whole setup really needs more light, so maybe some small tables with lamps and floor lamps. You also only have this one couch and you need more seats for guests, so maybe we get you a smaller chair and an ottoman, I mean, who doesn’t love ottomans?” He asked rhetorically.

   You pulled out a pickle jar and ate one as he looked around more.

   “Where is your bathroom?” He asked.

   You pointed with the half eaten pickle since your mouth was full.

   He chuckled softly and made his way over to it, opening the door. “Oh, the color scheme in here isn’t all that bad, a blue grey is a nice color for a bathroom.” You heard his voice echo.

   You made your way over to the bathroom to see what he was looking at.

   He pointed to the shower curtains. “You need new curtains too darling, these are just too bland.”

   You nodded and finished your pickle as he glanced around some more.

   “You also need new towels.” He said, pointing to one, and then looking at himself in the mirror cabinet that hung over your sink. He leaned toward himself, admiring, and doing a little bit of preening.

   You giggled softly.

   “Can I take a peek inside this cabinet, sweetheart?” He asked.

   You paused, then looked down and rubbed the back of your neck. “I-I’d rather you didn’t.” You replied

   “That’s okay, hun, I was just curious is all.”

   You were about to speak, when you heard what sounded like thousands of marbles hitting the roof. You looked up. “The weather report didn’t say there was gonna be rain today.”

   “Oh dear.” Mettaton replied, walking around you and making his way toward the front of your apartment and looked out the window. You followed after.

   The sky was dark grey and it looked bad, no signs of stopping. You went over to your TV and turned it on, going to the weather channel. The forecast said raining and into thunderstorms for the whole night, your heart raced a little.

   “This isn’t good at all.” Mettaton said softly.

   “Um … Mettaton? If you need to stay here the night, I-I don’t mind.” You replied, feeling your cheeks grow a bit warm.

   “Oh darling, are you sure? I don’t want to intrude too much.”  He asked with a slight frown.

   “No no, it’s okay, really. I don’t have work tomorrow until two, so it's not like I need to get up early or anything.”

   “Alright … If you’re sure it's alright.”

   You nodded.

   Mettaton then took out his cell phone, “I’m gonna call Blooky to bring over my charger.”

   “Okay.” You replied, looking back over to the TV of the weather forecaster on the screen, saying that the storms would start getting really bad in a few hours. You took a really deep breath and your heart was pounding, but not because of Mettaton.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha haha I bet you didn't expect two chapters in one day! Well, neither did I! 
> 
> Honestly, I am having the best time writing this and I'm getting such amazing comments from you guys, and even some of you have even gone out of your way to send me messages on tumblr! You guys are so nice.  
> (I'm vain, keep doing it)
> 
> Anyway, I'm still looking for some more song suggestions, specifically relating to the chapters themselves, rather than reader and Mettaton's relationship as a whole. 
> 
> If you want talk about the fic or make any fanart or whatever, hmu at koalolive.tumblr.com
> 
> Thanks for taking the time to read. If you have any general comments, critique, or suggestions, don't hesitate to leave a comment. I would really appreciate suggestions of any kind.


	11. Thunder

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit feminine (depending on the way you view gender) So I apologize in advance to masculine presenting people.

   You took another deep breath and looked over to Mettaton who was just getting off the phone with his cousin.

   “So, I told Blooky to bring my charger over and a few other goodies.” He smiled and clapped his hands.

   You nodded. “Um, Mettaton, the other day when you told me you go to sleep, like a computer does, do you, like …. Sleep in a bed? Or standing upright? Or … How does it work?” You asked.

   He chuckled softly. “I can be in any position I want to be, as long as I’m plugged in. I usually lay in a bed though, and sometimes when I need a quick charge, I just sit upright, but I don’t need to power down for that.”

   You nodded, “Um … You can sleep in my bed, if you want to? I can take the couch.”

   “No no no.” He frowned. “I can’t do that.”

   “O-Okay.” You nodded.

   He sat down beside you, crossing one leg over the other. “So, darling, how was your day?” He asked with a smile.

   You blushed a bit and glanced down to your lap, it was like you two were a couple and he was asking you about your day. No no, he’s just your friend, trying to have a conversation. “It was, fine, I didn’t really do much at the library today, well, except for the fact that my co-worker found out I was snapchatting you.” You said, saying the last bit in a negative tone.

   “And what’s so wrong with that?” He asked.

   “They started getting really jealous and stuff, and they wanted me to introduce you to them so they can become your friend, ultimately start dating you and I guess have sex with you?” You said with a shrug “I dunno, it was really immature and inappropriate.”

   Mettaton put a hand to his mouth and chuckled. “Although that is very flattering, I respectfully decline.”

   “Yeah, like what else were they expecting?” You replied.

   Suddenly, Mettaton’s phone went off. “Hello? …. Oh yes Blooky, thank you so much …. The fourth floor, I’ll open the window.” Mettaton stood from the couch and went over to one of your windows, opening it, Napstablook floated inside. A bag floated beside them.

   You waved. “Hi, Napstablook.”

   “Oh …. hello ….” Mettaton took the bag from them as they looked around. “Metta …. I don’t know why you don’t like this apartment …. It looks good to me.”

   Mettaton sighed. “Blooky, I love you dearly, but you do not know how to decorate a home.”

   “I guess …. You’re right ….” They replied. “I’m sorry …. about the rain.” They said.

   “It's alright Blooky, I’ll be home tomorrow, okay?” He smiled.

   “Okay …” They started to fade away. “Bye you two.”

   Once Napstablook disappeared, Mettaton opened the bag he got from his cousin and began to rummage through it. “Good, everything is in here.”

   “What did you have them bring besides your charger?” You asked curiously.

   Mettaton smiled. “Well, I had the idea instead of us just sitting here feeling bad that I can’t go home, I decided we make a slumber party out of it.”

   “Oh uh, okay.” You said, a bit apprehensively.

   “What’s wrong, sweetheart?” He asked, taking a few steps over to you.

   “It's been a really long time since I did anything like that.” You said with a shrug.

   He smiled and patted your head. “Okay, now, is there anything you need to do before we start our little shindig?” He asked.

   “Oh uh, yeah, I wanted to take a quick shower.”

   He nodded. “Go ahead, take all the time you need, darling.” He replied.

   Nodding, you went over to your bureau and opened one of your drawers, rummaging to find something comfortable, yet appropriate to wear, considering you practically walk around your house in nothing but your underwear when you're alone. You pulled out a baggy t-shirt and some sweatpants, along with a new change of underwear. You glanced over at the robot who was now sitting on the couch, flicking through TV stations. You headed into the bathroom and closed the door behind you.

   Turning the faucet on, you undressed and climbed into the stream of running water. You usually sing in the shower, but since Mettaton was just in the other room, you were a little worried of what he might think. What if he made fun of the way you sang and said that he didn’t want to be friends with someone so tone deaf. You shook your head. No. If he didn’t like it, you’d tell him to shut up. So, you decided to sing a song you liked, as well as something Mettaton would also probably like, because part of you, also kind of wanted to impress him, that is, if he even listened. You thought about it for a moment, maybe something Ke$ha would be good, Mettaton seemed like the kind of person to like her music, not to mention her style. The first song that came to mind was ‘Die Young’, so you just kinda went with it.

 

            _I hear your heartbeat to the beat of the drums_

_Oh, what a shame that you came here with someone_

_So while you're here in my arms_

_Let's make the most of the night like we're gonna die young_

 

   You were usually pretty quick with your showers, when you didn’t need to wash your hair, and tonight was one of those nights.. Finishing the song when you finished showering, you stepped out, grabbed your towel and began to dry off. After drying, you hung your damp towel on a hook on the back of the door and put your pajamas on. Taking a deep breath, you opened the door and saw Mettaton sitting on the couch, looking at you.

   “H-Hi.” You waved as he stood up from the couch and walked over to you. What was he wearing? It was adorable. He had put on a sweater that was too big for him, legwarmers over his boots, and, somehow, his boots had turned into wedges. You didn’t question it.

   Leaning down, his face leveled with yours, he looked into your eyes with his single one. “Sweetheart?” He asked.

   “W-What?” You asked, nervously.

   “Why didn’t you tell me you could sing?” He smiled.

   “I-I didn’t think I could.” You replied with a shrug. Oh thank god he didn’t make fun of you.

   He put his hands on either side of your face, then proceeded to squish your cheeks together. “Well, darling, your voice is absolutely mellifluous.”

   You blushed a little bit as he let go of your face. “T-Thank you.”

   “Will you sing more for me?” He asked.

   Your whole face went red. “W-What? No way.”

   “Huh? Why not?” He pouted.

   “I-I don’t sing in front of people.” You said, glancing away from him.

   “Not even me? Your beloved friend?” He asked as he moved into your line of sight.

   You looked down. “M-Maybe another time.”

   “Fine.” He said. “Then I have another idea.”

   “Huh?”

   “Hair braiding and nail painting.” He smiled.

   “Oh uh … Okay I guess.” You shrugged.

   Mettaton pulled you over to the couch and sat you down, then sat down in front of you, on the floor, facing the right, so the right side of his body was in front of you, where more of his hair was. He pulled some elastics out of nowhere and handed them to you. “You braid my hair first, alright?”

   “And what if I told you I didn’t know how to braid hair?” You asked as you took took a small bunch of his hair, separating it into three equal smaller bunches. His hair was so soft.

   “That’s what Google is for, honey.” He replied.

   You giggled softly and weaved the pieces of hair into a braid, then, continuing to make more until he had about six or seven small braids. “I think this might be enough.” You replied.

   Mettaton stood up. “Alright, I’m going to take a look in the mirror.” He said happily.

   You smiled as he walked over, proceeding to play with one of the elastics between your fingers.

   “Oh darling, I look adorable.” He said cheerfully.

   “I’m glad you like them.” You called back.

   After a few moments, he walked back over. “Turn your body to the side, darling.” He smiled. You turned away from him and he sat behind you on the couch, you leaned a bit to the left, where the back of the couch was, and soon felt Mettaton’s hand run through your hair. You felt heat rise to your face, as well as knots form in your stomach.

   “Darling,” He said softly. “your hair is so soft.”

   “T-Thank you.” You replied nervously.

   You felt his hand run more through your hair, then, began braiding it. You closed your eyes and soon heard humming come from behind you, on impulse you asked. “What are you humming?”

   “Death by Glamour.” He replied and proceeded to go back to humming.

   Of course he was humming one of his own theme songs.

   After a little while, you heard “There, all done, go take a look, sweetheart.”

   You opened your eyes and got up, going into to your bathroom. Looking in the mirror, you saw that your hair was covered in small braids. You had to admit, you did look kinda cute. Looking down at the sink, you saw your cellphone sitting there that you forgot to take with you after you showered, you picked it up, checking the time. It was a little past seven.

   You made your way out of the bathroom to see Mettaton smiling expectantly. “So, do you like it, darling?” He asked.

   You nodded “Yeah, it's nice.”

   “Good. Now, I have something else planned.” He said as you heard him open his bag.

   You remember that he did mention something else, but you forgot what it was. You walked over to your kitchen area and looked through your fridge again for food. “What?” You asked

   “We’re gonna paint our nails.”

   You looked over to him and rubbed the back of your neck. “Mettaton, I don’t- Hey, hold on.” You looked up at him, narrowing your eyes. “How do you even wear nail polish, and makeup for that matter?” You asked.

   “I wear glue on nails, honey, and as for the makeup, it's MTT brand, Alphys designed it for me.”

   You nodded and went back to looking through your fridge. You pulled out some ingredients and made a quick sandwich. Once you finished and proceeded to put everything back, you took a bite from it and walked over to where Mettaton was finishing setting up. Leaning over the back of the couch, you looked at your small coffee table in front of the couch, on it was an array of nail polish bottles, a couple of nail files, glitter, fake nails and … “Uh Mettaton? Why do you have a tube of e6000?”

   “It’s just my nail glue, sweetie.” He replied with a smile as he ungloved his hands and picked up two bottles of polish, pondering over what colors he would use.

   You shivered, that was industrial strength glue. You then looked at the bottles of polish, you didn’t really want to paint your nails, but you knew that if you told Mettaton ‘no’, he would still make you. You finished your sandwich and made you way around to the front of the couch, and sitting down, you looked over the small bottles again. You picked one up, but as soon as you did, an enormous crack of thunder boomed outside, following it, the bottle of polish clunked onto the floor.

   “Yikes, that was scary.” You heard his voice say. “Darling, are you-” He didn’t finish his sentence, probably seeing you.

   Upon hearing the crack of thunder and dropping the small bottle, your arms had wrapped around yourself. Your eyes were wide with fear, and your body was shaking.

   “Honey, are you-” Mettaton didn’t get a chance to finish his sentence before another crack.

   You jumped to your feet and as fast as they could take you, you ran to your closet, opening the door, and hiding yourself inside. Sitting with your back up against the wall, you crunched up the best you could, into a ball and covered your ears with your hands.

   As the next crack came, your eyes squeezed shut, your fingernails dug into the sides of your head and you began to cry. Unable to hear anything over your sobs, or see due to your eyes glued shut, you didn’t hear or see Mettaton open the closet door, but you felt his hand touch your arm.

   You opened your eyes, seeing him through your tears. “Honey, it’s okay.” He said calmly.

   A second later, another crack. You shut your eyes, squeezed into yourself tighter and your crying turned to bawling. You felt Mettaton’s arms wrap around you and pick you up. “Shh, shh, you’re alright.” He said softly. You clung to his sweater tightly, bawling, as you braced yourself for the next crack. You felt him hug you tighter, as if he was trying to protect you.

   Another crack boomed, and you bawled harder, as you clung to Mettaton for dear life, but you felt him putting you down. You were about to panic more, thinking he was just going to put you down and leave, but as you opened your eyes, you could see through your tears that he had set you down onto your bed and was climbing onto it with you.

   He lied down and shifted around a bit to get comfortable and opened his arms to you. “C’mon.” Another wave of thunder roared and you clung to his chest, bawling. You felt his arms wrap around you again and felt a hand rub up and down your back, comforting you.

 

      Almost an hour passed before the storm calmed down.

 

   The storm dwindled down as your bawls turned to cries, and cries into just tears. You sniffled as you clung to Mettaton, not wanting to let go in fear of another crack.

   Mettaton said your name softly.

   You looked up to him, his face riddled with worry.

   “Are you okay?”

   You nodded.

   “Are you sure?”

   You nodded.

   “Is there anything I can do for you.”

   All you could do was cling tighter to him, you buried your face into his chest.

   “Sweetheart.” He said softly.

   You looked up to him.

   “Do you want to go to bed?” He asked.

   You nodded.

   “Do you want me to stay with you?”

   You nodded.

   “Will you let me leave for not even 30 seconds so I can get my charger?”

   Hesitantly, you nodded, proceeding to let him go.

   He climbed off the bed and you sat up, watching him get his charger from his bag. He turned off the few remaining lights and made his way back over to you. “Do you want to get under the blankets?” He asked as he plugged in his small charging unit into an outlet beside your bed.

   You nodded and without getting off the bed, got under the covers. Mettaton got under with you and plugged the other end of his charger into the back of his neck. He laid back down and opened his arms to you.

   You scooted closer as he wrapped you in his arms. Your eyes half closed, you said softly. “I’m sorry.”

   Not expecting him to reply, he whispered, tightening his grasp on you.

 

  
   “Don’t be.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to be vain, after Mettaton's meltdown chapter, this has to be the other favorite that I've written. I've come to realize that I love writing dramatic things. It's really fun.
> 
> Also, to any of you that were expecting there to be sex or something similar in this chapter, please keep this in mind; If there is going to be any sex or explicit intimate relations between Mettaton and the reader, is will be in a (optional & plot free) work separate from this one. I'm not sure if I will be even writing explicit stuff for this fic yet. I see Mettaton as Demisexual (unlike the other 95% of the fandom) so please keep that in mind.
> 
> I'm still looking for some more song suggestions, specifically relating to the chapters themselves, rather than reader and Mettaton's relationship as a whole.
> 
> If you want talk about the fic or make any fanart or whatever, hmu at koalolive.tumblr.com
> 
> Thanks for taking the time to read. If you have any general comments, critique, or suggestions, don't hesitate to leave a comment. I would really appreciate suggestions of any kind.


	12. Piano

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not sure if anyone needs any trigger warnings, but I'm putting this here just in case.
> 
> The use of Medication/Pills are in this chapter, along with brief mention of Mental Illness.

   The next morning you slowly awoke, feeling a tight embrace. Confused for a moment, you opened your eyes, seeing Mettaton’s sleeping face not two inches of your own. You remembered what happened last night and your face went red, mainly from embarrassment. You can’t believe you let Mettaton see you in your most emotional, fragile state. You were worried, what if since he couldn't leave, he just put up with you? What if he was going to laugh at you when he woke up? No, no, he wouldn’t do that. You took a deep breath, and while you had the chance, you cuddled a bit closer to him, he felt really warm.

   Glancing at his face, sunlight was shining through the blinds behind you, making the metal of his face glisten in the light. You then began to examine his face a bit closer, his eyebrows sleek and thin, his eyelashes were full, his nose, god, how could you even describe the type of nose he had? Perfect? But the main things you hated to love, were his lips. You were captivated by them, they were full, gorgeous, were they even made of metal? You kind of hoped they weren’t, you wanted to reach up to touch them, but fear of him waking up, you didn’t.

   After a little while, you heard the soft hum of internal fans coming from the robot you were cuddling. You heard a short, computer-like power up noise come from the speaker on his chest. Glancing up to his face, his eyes fluttered open, small loading symbols replacing his irises. A few moments passed, he blinked a few times, and his irises returned to the beautiful pink orbs you were used to.

   Looking down to you, making eye contact, he paused. You thought you heard his internal fans whirr a bit louder, along with the crack of static, but you were probably just imagining it. He softened his gaze and smiled. “Go-Good M-M-Morning.”

   Your face shifted to worry upon hearing his voice glitching.

   “Do-Don’t worry, s-swee-sweetheart, It’s a-a morning t-th-thing.” He said genuinely.

   You nodded. “O-Okay, take your time.”

   Mettaton smiled and loosened his grip on you, letting you go. He sat up, his hair falling back into his face, and unplugged the charger from his neck. “D-Darling?”

   You sat up and looked over to him. “Hm?”

   He looked over to you. “A-Are you doing o-okay? D-D-Do you want to t-talk about last night?”

   “Oh uh …” You looked down at your lap. “I-I’m sorry, Mettaton. I …. I should have told you that I’m …”

   “Afraid of thunder?” The glitching was gone.

   “It's not just afraid though, I’m p-petrified.” You replied, hugging yourself.

   “Yes, you did take me by surprise, I’ll admit that, but I’m scared of what might have happened if I weren’t there.” He said, putting a hand on your back and rubbing it softly.

   “I probably would've cowered in the closet all night.” You admitted, looking over to him. “That’s the safest spot.”

   “Well then, I’m glad I was here for you, sweetheart.” He said, removing his hand from your back, and taking a lock of your hair into his hand.

   You felt your heart jump into your throat. “I-I-I’ll be r-right back.” You said, quickly getting up from the bed and rushing over to the bathroom. You took a deep breath and looked at yourself in the mirror. Pull yourself together. Stop falling head over heels for this fucking robot. You ran the faucet and splashed water into your face. Looking back at yourself, you sighed and opened the cabinet behind the mirror, staring at the couple of florescent orange pill bottles staring back at you. You suddenly felt like you just, emotionally, got punched in the stomach, dreading the possible outcome if Mettaton were to find out that you were broken. You took the small cup beside the bottles and filled it with water, taking two pills and followed with a sip of water to get them down.

   You exited the bathroom to see Mettaton standing with his back toward you, pulling the sweatshirt he was wearing, up over his head. His back wasn’t anything you hadn’t seen before, but you couldn’t help but stare. The day before he had taken off his shoulder spikes, you didn't even know they were detachable. On his upper back was pink paneling, cut into almost a crop top like shape, and beneath it was black paneling, then the back of his build in belt. Between his shoulder blades was a small red switch.

   Getting the sweater off, he looked at you over his shoulder. “Everything alright, dear?”

   You simply nodded, your face flushed.

   He chuckled softly and sat back down onto the bed, pulling his leg warmers off. “I know it’s still a little early, darling, but I must get going. I have a few errands I have to run and still go home and let Blooky know that I’m alright.”

   “Oh uh, that’s okay.” You replied as you walked over to him on your bed, sitting about a foot away from him.

   He looked over to you. “I really wanted to walk you to work.” He pouted.

   “N-No, that’s okay.” You replied. You didn’t tell him that you were going to call out from work, you couldn’t handle it with a night like that.

   Mettaton then put his leg warmers into his bag and stood up from the bed. You got up and walked him to the door. Before he opened it, he turned to you. “Darling, thank you so much for sharing your home with me.”

   “N-No problem.” You stammered and glanced down.

   “Text me if you need anything, alright?” He asked, opening the front door.

   You nodded, looking back up to him.

   “Have a good day, sweetheart.” He said, winking as he left.

   You felt your heart beating in your ears.

      It was too late.

         You had already fallen for him.

            You were in love.

         Or at least you thought it was love.

 

~~~

 

   Later that day, around 2:30 or so, you got a call, surprisingly from Alphys. You brought your phone to your ear. “Hello?”

   “H-Hey there, so uh, are you okay? Y-Your, Uh, I went to the library to pick up some books and y-your boss said you were sick.”

   You smiled to yourself. You weren’t best friends with Alphys or anything, but you were glad that she worried about you. “Yeah, I’m fine.” You replied. “I needed to take a mental health day.”

   “O-Oh thank goodness, I’m glad you’re okay.” You heard her exhale in relief.

   You then heard a muffled “Hey, let me talk to the squirt!” The voice then at a normal volume. “Hey squirt!”

   “Hey Undyne, you wanna do me a favor?” You asked.

   “What do you mean, me do you a favor?”

   “Pick me up snacks from the convenience store, I’ll pay you.” You replied. You were starving for junk food and also needed to talk to the two of them about Mettaton.

   “Deal, Alphie and I’ll be over ASAP!” She yelled and hung up.

   You laughed to yourself. The two of them had come to your house briefly before, such as, times after your shifts and you helped Alphys carry books home, but needed to stop at your place first, and also another time when you told Undyne to pick up your pizza for you once.

   After a little while, you heard your buzzer going off next to your door. You went over to it and pressed the button as you spoke into the speaker. “Come on up, guys.”

   All the way from the first floor, you heard Undyne’s monstrous stomps make their way up four floors. You opened the door for her and she rushed in, carrying a few shopping bags filled with your snacks, Alphy’s books, and also carrying her small lizard girlfriend.

   You laughed a bit. “Hey guys.”

   Undyne set down the bags and her girlfriend, then looked you up and down. “Wow, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in sweat pants.”

   You shrugged. “There’s a first for everything." You walked over to your bed and picked up your bag from the side of it. “How much did the snack cost you?”

   “Like 10 bucks.” She replied, flopping onto the couch.

   “B-But Undyne, it was 15.” Alphys protested and sat on the couch beside her.

   Undyne had a tendency to do that, only to you though, since you tended to give her too much money when you had her do errands for you.

   You pulled out a 20 from your wallet and walked over, handing it to her. “Here.”

   “Fine, fine.” She said, taking the money and shoving it in the pocket of her jacket.

   “H-Hey, what’s that on the floor.” Alphys said, looking down on the floor in front of the couch.

   You leaned down and picked it up, it was a bottle of nail polish, the one you dropped last night when the lighting cracked for the first time. A chill shot up your back just thinking about it. “Oh, uh, it’s a bottle of Mettaton’s nail polish.”

   “Mettaton? You two seem to be hanging out a lot recently, huh?” Undyne asked, hanging her arms over the back of the couch.

   You waved a hand dismissively. “N-Not really. H-He only came over yesterday because he really wants to give my apartment a makeover …” You sat down on your coffee table, across from the two of them. “I kinda wanted to ask you two about that, he just never takes no for an answer, does he?” You asked, looking down at the bottle of polish in your hands.

   “Not a chance.” Undyne replied with a laugh.

   “Y-Yeah, he’s really generous and selfless.” Alphys chimed, joining the conversation.

   You looked up and rose an eyebrow.

   “With people he cares about, that is.” Undyne replied. “Other than that, he can be a selfish, egotistical pain in the ass.”

   “W-Why are you asking? Y-You don’t want him to redecorate?” Alphys asked.

   “No … I mean … He wants to dish out all this cash for me, I mean I know he’d probably say something along the lines of the fact that he has thousands of dollars he doesn’t know what to do with, but like … He hardly really knows me.”

   Undyne threw her head back and started to laugh, you furrowed your brows, confused. Once she stopped, she looked back to you. “Mettaton is a first impression kind of guy. If he likes you when he meets you, he’s gonna be your friend.”

   “H-He’ll also be friends with someone … Uh … By association.”

   “Oh right! That’s how we became friends, kinda.” Undyne said.

   “How did that happen?” You asked, curious as to how Undyne and Mettaton met.

   “Well, it started like this, Alphys and I met and we started visiting each other's houses, and suddenly, one day Mettaton shows up with her.” She said, pointing her thumb toward Alphys.

   “Y-Yeah, and he, well, wasn’t so nice about her house.”

   “Yeah, I had this dinky little keyboard I was learning to play the piano with, and he just waltzed right in and started insulting it. I wanted to punch him in his square glowing box face, but I promised Alphie I wouldn’t.”

   You nodded, leaning forward, eager to hear the rest of the story.

   “Anyway, so another day he tags along again, and somehow gets this giant grand piano and pushes it right into my house, and he left a huge gaping hole! I wanted to kill him.” She said, flashing a toothy smile.

   “T-Then he laid himself across it, feeding himself grapes.” Alphys exclaimed.

   Undyne nodded. “Yeah, I thought he only brought the frikin’ thing to lay across, ya’kno? But then, he and Alphie are getting ready to leave, and I yell at him to take his piano with him, and you know what he says to me?” She asked.

   You shook your head.

   “He told me that it was for me.”

   “Wait, what? Did that really happen?” You asked.

   Alphys nodded. “Yeah.”

   “Yeah, and this was only meeting me for the second time.” Undyne said with a smile.

   “Oh, I see …” You replied, rubbing the back of your neck and looking down. You weren’t sure how to take this information. Was he really just doing this because of your shit apartment? Or did he really like you?

   “I-Is something wrong?” You heard Alphys ask.

   You shot your head up and quickly replied. “N-No, I’m fine. everything is fine.”

   Undyne glanced at Alphys, then looked at you with a smirk. “You got a crush on the pile of nuts and bolts, don’t you?”

   Your whole face went red. “No!” You denied.

   Undyne threw her head back again, howling with laughter as she hit her knee.

   You blushed deeper and hid your head into your t-shirt.

   Once she was done, she said. “Hey, get your head outta there, I gotta ask you something.”

   You poked your head out a little. “W-What?”

   “Why do you like him?” She asked.

   You paused. This is the question you’ve been asking yourself since day one. “I … I dunno, he just makes me happy, I guess.” You said, timidly.

   “T-There has to be more than him just making you happy.” Alphys said.

   You blushed and looked down again. “I … This is embarrassing.”

   “Alright, alright.” Undyne replied. “We’ll back off.”

   You looked up at her, glaring. “You can’t tell anyone, Sans already knows.”

   “Okay okay, calm down.” She said. “Besides, Sans knows everything about everyone.”

   You sighed, nodding in agreement, then remembering something you needed to ask Alphys. “Hey, Alphys?”

   “Huh?”

   “Mettaton went to see you the other day, right? After he had some kind of meltdown, right?” You asked.

   “Oh uh, y-yeah.” She nodded, pushing up her glasses with a scaly finger.

   “What was it caused by?” You asked.

   There was a long pause, Alphy’s face went red. “U-U-Uh w-well, his anger l-levels were p-pretty high, and u-uh-.”

   “There’s something else, isn’t there?” You asked cutting her off.

   Alphys stood up. “U-Undyne, I think it's time to go!” Alphys said as she rushed past you to grab her bags of books. Flustered, she started getting the snack and book bags mixed up. Undyne was rushing to help her.

   “Hey, now wait a second!” You yelled at them.

   “Sorry, kid! Can’t stay, we gotta go.” Undyne replied as she opened the door and rushed out with Alphys.

   You sat there on your coffee table as you heard their feet rush down the stairs and out the door.

   What the hell is going on?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha, so just a little note, I didn't really give a specific nose description for Mettaton because I know a lot of people picture his nose (as well as his other features) different.
> 
> Also, I hope you like Undyne and Alphys' story, thats kinda my headcanon for how Undyne got her piano. <3
> 
> I'm still looking for some more song suggestions, specifically relating to the chapters themselves, rather than reader and Mettaton's relationship as a whole.
> 
> People have started drawing fanart and i'm crying, like for reals.
> 
> If you want talk about the fic or make any fanart or whatever, hmu at koalolive.tumblr.com.
> 
> Thanks for taking the time to read. If you have any general comments, critique, or suggestions, don't hesitate to leave a comment. I would really appreciate suggestions of any kind.


	13. Reunion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: There is use of manipulative behavior in this chapter, but not from Mettaton or Reader

   A little over a week passed and everything started to go back to normal. The Monday following the Friday you had taken off, you went back to work, getting back into your normal schedule. The rest of the week, outside of being at the library, you were holed up in your apartment working on concept after concept of something for Napstablook’s album cover. All week you were close, and two nights ago, you had finally come up with a design for the cover, as well as some concepts for a back cover and decal for the top of the CD, if they were going to put it on a CD that is, less and less people did, so maybe they didn’t want one. But, you came up with a design just in case. Along with working all week, Mettaton and you went back to texting back in forth, he was mostly sending you pictures of things he was looking at for your apartment. So, everything was back to normal.

   It was early Monday evening as you sat at the desk, reading. The library was dead quiet, no one was there, but that wasn’t surprising. You continued to read for a while until you heard the door open, glancing up from your book at the sound, but not really interested in who it was. As you read, you saw them walk over to a table in your peripheral vision. Yon continued reading until you heard your name called in a questioning tone.

   You looked up to see guy about your age that you had never seen before, yet seemed too familiar. “Uhhh, yeah?” You asked.

   They walked over to you, their eyes gazing over you behind their glasses. “Heh, makes sense you don’t recognize me.”

   You furrowed your brow a bit, still really confused.

   “Jarred? We were friends in college?”

   You stared at him, blinking a few times. Standing before you was the person you used to hate to think about, before meeting Mettaton. He was the person you had a really big crush on for almost three years in college and finally getting it through your head that he would never like you back, you stopped trying. Seeing him now though, you felt like you wanted to throw up and scream at the same time. Part of you was a bit happy to see him again, but the other part was an anxious ball, not knowing a bit on how to deal with this whole situation, so you attempted to wing it.

   “Oh, wow.” You replied. “This is so much to take in. First of all, hi, oh my god, how long has it been?”

   “Almost two years now? When we graduated?”

   “Right right, sorry, wow You’ve changed so much.” You said.

   They laughed a bit. “Yeah, I’m about a year and a half on T.”

   “Oh shit, really? Congrats man, I’m so happy for you.” You said, smiling widely.

   “Thanks.” He replied smiling back just as wide.

   “So, what are you doing back here?” You asked.

   “Oh, one of our old professors wanted me to come give an artist talk at the college, I also wanted to meet up with a few old friends.” He replied.

   You nodded. “Cool, cool, so how long are you here for?” You asked.

   “About three days, I’m leaving on Thursday.”

   Nodding again. “Cool.”

   Suddenly, out of nowhere he asked. “Hey, when do you get off work?”

   “Oh, not till nine, so another two hours.” You replied.

   “Damn … Are you free tomorrow? Maybe the two of us could grab a coffee and catch up a little more?”

   “Oh uh, wow, this is sudden.” You reached into your bag and pulled out your planner. “I’m free tomorrow until after two.” you replied.

   “Alright, wanna meet at Gusto’s?” He asked. “For old times sake?”

   Gusto’s was a cafe that your old friend group used to hang out at all the time in college, you had almost completely forgotten about it. “Oh uh, sure, why not.” You shrugged.

   “Cool, so, meet there at 2:30?” He asked, smiling.

   You nodded. “Y-Yeah.”

   He picked up his bag from the desk he left it on and waved as he left. “Seeya.”

   Once out the door, you took a deep breath and put a hand to your chest, your heart was racing with, not embarrassment or anything like that, it was fear. You never thought you would ever see your crush again, that you would say goodbye at graduation and never have to deal with that again. But here he was, showing right back into your life again. A couple months before you started talking to Mettaton, you had finally forgotten about him, but he has the fucking audacity to show up out of the blue and talk to you? Yeah, he did, because he was never aware of how hard you fell for him. Guess that’s how unrequited love goes.

   You phone on the desk buzzed a couple times. Picking it up, you saw that you had missed a few snapchats from Mettaton. You opened them they were silly pictures of him getting ready for his show. You sighed and watched the pictures play for 10 seconds, then disappear. Taking a picture of yourself smiling, you looked at it before you sent it, it looked forced, really forced. You looked terrible, obvious that you looked really anxious. You took a breath and took a different picture, one of you where you made the peace sign with your fingers, over your face. Looking at it, your face was mainly covered, so you just sent it. You hated this.

~~~

   It was the next day, you were sitting in Gusto’s and the feeling was nostalgic, you kept glancing at your phone, it was already 2:45. You sipped your hot chocolate, growing more and more impatient with each passing second. You told yourself that you were going to give him five more minutes, and if he didn’t show, you would leave. And it did, five minutes passed and the nagging voice in the back your head kept telling you to wait up for him, but you really didn’t want to. You looked at your phone and opened a text from Mettaton that was a picture of a floor lamp. It looked simple, but since minimalism was getting a bit more popular recently, it was probably really expensive, so you texted him back, asking him how much it was. Finishing your cup of hot chocolate, you stood up. You were done waiting. As you brought your dirty mug to the bin with all the dirty dishes, you heard the bell above the door jingle. Glancing over to it, it was Jarred.

   Seeing you, he walked over and smiled. “Hey, I’m so sorry I’m late, I woke up late.”

   “No, it’s okay.” You replied, lying.

   “Want me to buy you a coffee?” He asked.

   “No, I’m all set, I just finished a drink.” You replied, your insides knotting up with fear, and anxiousness.

   “I’m really sorry I kept you waiting.” He replied. “How about you go snag the two of us a seat and I’ll be right over.” He pointed to one of the empty tables, it was the one you were just sitting at.

   You nodded and went over to it, sitting down, and as you did, you remembered why you were so scared, you remembered how manipulative he was. Even in college, he was a very manipulative person. You sat there with knots in your stomach and took out your phone. Looking at the text Mettaton sent back, there it was, the lamp was $500, there was no way you were going to have him spend that much money on just a lamp. You texted him back telling him no and to find one under $50. You honestly didn’t wanna pay over $25 for a lamp, but there was nothing you could do with him.

   Jarred sat down across from you and held a paper coffee cup in his hands. “So, how have you been these past couple of years?”

   “Fine, I-” Suddenly, you were interrupted by your phone vibrating on the table. You picked it up, it was Mettaton. You looked up at Jarred “Give me one second.” He didn’t look happy, but you answered the phone. “Hello?”

   “What do you mean it needs to be below 50 dollars? How am I going to find something suitable?”

   You rubbed your temples with a hand. “I can’t talk right now, I’m in the middle of something.”

   “What? You never do anything on Tuesday afternoons.” He said in disbelief.

   “Well I’m out to coffee with an old friend.” You replied.

   “Darling, you don’t like coffee.”

   “Thats besides the point. I just need to go, I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

   “Fine.”

   “Bye.” You said, then hung up. “Sorry about that.”

   Looking back over to Jarred, his face looked bitter for a split second before he took a sip from his cup. When he lowered it, he was smiling. “That’s okay, it must have been important if it had to interrupt our little friend date.” His voice was sour.

   “Hehe. If I didn’t answer, he would've kept calling.” You said.

   “So, as I asked a second ago.”

   “Right right. I’ve been doing pretty good. I just got finished up a really great job.” You smiled.

   “Oh? Do tell.” He said, leaning toward you.

   “Oh well um, I designed the album art for this new ghost monster musician.” You replied. “Their name is Napstablook, they’re Mettaton’s cousin.”

   “Holy shit, how did you get a gig like that?” He asked.

   “Oh uh, they really liked my stuff.” You replied.

   “Damn, that’s lucky.” He said, leaning back in his chair.

   “Hey um, it's starting to get a little warm in here, do you mind if we walk and talk?” You asked. The truth was, you started to feel like the room was closing in on you. Maybe going to get coffee with him wasn’t the best idea.

   “What, already? I just sat down.” He frowned. “Just a little longer.”

   “O-Okay.” You nodded, feeling your stomach flip.

   “What have you been doing?” You asked.

   “Oh, this and that, and a little work with some major animation labels, I might start doing some animation soon.” He smiled.

   “Wow, that’s great.” You smiled.

   Your phone began to go off again, picking it up, you groaned. “I’m so sorry, it's my friend again.” You answered it. “Yes?”

   “Are you in a cafe?” He asked.

   “Yeah, why?” You furrowed your brow, you weren’t sure you liked where this was headed.

   “Gusto’s?” He asked.

   “What are you even doing around here?” You replied.

   “I was at a store down the street looking at the lamps darling. I’m coming in.”

   “No wait-” But he had already hung up.

   “What was that about?” Jarred asked.

   You sighed and looked over to the door. “You’ll find out in a second.”

   As soon as you said that, Mettaton walked in, wearing a long pink trench coat and oversized sunglasses. He slid the glasses down his nose, eyes peering over them as he scanned the cafe. The cafe hushed and all began to whisper, looking at the superstar. You glanced over at Jarred whose jaw had gone slightly slack.

   Seeing you, Mettaton strutted his way over. “Sweetheart, hello!”

   You blushed a bit and waved up at him. “H-Hi, Mettaton.”

   Mettaton sat down in the empty chair beside you, sliding his glasses off and eyed Jarred. “Who might this be?”

   “Oh uh, Mettaton, this is my old college classmate, Jarred.” You said, motioning over to him. “Jarred, this i-”

   He cut you off and stuck out his hand. “I know who he is, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

   Mettaton smiled brightly. “Oh how nice to meet you, darling.” He took Jarred’s hand and shook it.

   For some reason, you felt like he wasn’t being genuine. You watched the two of them shake hands.

   “So sir, how do you know” He said your name, gesturing to you.

   “Well, it's a long story, but to sum it up, we met at the library where they work.” He smiled. “Our friendship has been growing ever since.”

   You thought you saw a flash of a smirk on Jarred’s face, but you were probably imagining things. You opened your mouth to speak again when Jarred cut you off, again.

   “Sir, may I just say, that I love your show, I watch it live every chance I get.” He said with a smile.

   “Oh I’m so glad to hear that.” He smiled, clapping his gloved hands together.

   “May I ask, who does the art for your promotional products?” He asked.

   “Oh, their name is escaping me at the moment. I’m sorry.” Mettaton repled.

   You kept your mouth shut, knowing that if you tried to speak, he would cut you off again. Staying out of the conversation, you took out your phone, seeing a few missed texts from Mettaton earlier. He had texting you, angry about lamps under $50 and had sent you a picture of really cheap $10 lamps asking you if that’s the kind of thing you wanted, but then he answered the question in the next text saying about how it's an ugly lamp that would be in your apartment right now. After that he texted you, apologizing for getting angry and sent some pictures of really nice lamps around $30 or so. You couldn't help but laugh.

   “What’s so funny?” you heard Jarred ask.

   You looked up and waved him off. “It’s nothing.”

   “If it’s nothing, then why are you laughing?” He asked, his voice between a joke and serious.

   “Oh well, uh, j-just a conversation I was having with Mettaton earlier, about lamps.”

   “Lamps don’t sound all that funny.” He replied.

   “I guess not. Sorry.” You glanced down at your lap.

   Mettaton coughed lightly. “Well darling, I need to get going, and Jarred, it was very nice meeting you.” He said as he stood from his chair.

   “Oh I’m so glad to have gotten a chance met you.” Jarred smiled.

   “I’ll text you later, sweetheart.” Mettaton said, patting the top of your head softly.

   You looked up from your lap and waved. “B-Bye.”

   He waved and walked out of the cafe, continuing down the street and out of view.

   “Wow, how crazy is it that you know Mettaton.”

   “Pretty crazy, sometimes I can’t even believe it.” You replied.

   “Hey, your hands are already on your phone, what time is it?” He asked.

   You looked down at it. “Uh, it’s 4:32.” You said.

   “Really? Already? Damn, I have an appointment at five. Since this little get together was cut so short, how about I take you out to dinner? My treat?” He asked with a smile.

   You paused. You really didn’t want to, but his smile was so charming, you found yourself nodding.

   “Tomorrow?” He asked.

   “I … don’t get off work until nine.” You replied.

   “That’s okay, we can do a late dinner.” He smiled.

   You nodded as he stood up.

   “Great, hey, gimme your cell, I’ll put my number in it.” He took your phone and put his number in, handing it back to you. “Text me so I have your number.”

   You nodded and sent him a text that said your name.

   He looked at his phone and shot you a thumbs up. “Alright, sweet. I’ll text you details later.” He said, waving as he made his way to the front door.

   “Okay.” You nodded.

   He opened the door and walked out of sight.

   You gripped your arms tightly. Why did you agree to that?

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic needed conflict, so I made some fucking conflict. I also have been getting requests to learn a bit about readers past, so here's some!! 
> 
> This is really really great you guys. More and more people have been coming to me, wanting to draw fanart and other things, and its so fantastic. I would have never though a little fic like this would impact so many people. 
> 
> Also, please take some time to read this post I put on tumblr.  
> http://koalolive.tumblr.com/post/133949914710/about-my-mettatonreader-fic-bookmarks-its
> 
> I also FINALLY got a bit of a playlist done! Go take a listen!!   
> http://8tracks.com/koalolive/bookmarks
> 
> I'm still looking for some more song suggestions, specifically relating to the chapters themselves, rather than reader and Mettaton's relationship as a whole., but even if you have some for the whole, let me know!!
> 
> If you want talk about the fic or make any fanart or whatever, hmu at koalolive.tumblr.com
> 
> Thanks for taking the time to read. If you have any general comments, critique, or suggestions, don't hesitate to leave a comment. I would really appreciate suggestions of any kind.


	14. Wine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: There is use of manipulative behavior in this chapter.

   It was the next day, 7:30, an hour and a half until you were going to grab dinner with Jarred, your stomach had been in knots all day. You had to be nice and at least try to reconnect, maybe yesterday you had been reading him wrong? Maybe your brain was being an asshole like it always was? What’s the worst that could happen?

   All of a sudden, you phone started to ring, you looked down at it vibrating on the desk, it was Mettaton. You looked around the library, there were a few high school students in the corner studying with each other, or what used to be studying, they were just talking at this point. Not seeing anyone else, you answered with a whisper. “Hello?”

   “Honey! I have the best news!” He exclaimed.

   You sighed. “Did you have to call now? I’m at work.”

   “Yes it had to be now, I’m heading to the station and won’t be able to call you during the show.”

   “Okay then, what’s the news?” You asked.

   “Well, I have two things to tell you, but the first is that I think I may finally be done getting everything ready to redo your home.” He said, cheerily. “I just need to finish ordering everything and we can probably start this weekend.”

   “Oh wow, really?” You asked.

   “Yes! I’m so excited.”

   “Okay, what’s the other news?”

   “Oh, I can’t tell you, you’ll have to come over to my home after work.” He said

   You paused and rubbed the back of your neck. “Oh, uh … I can’t … I’m going to dinner … With Jarred.”

   There was another pause, this time from his end. “Darling, didn’t you just see him yesterday?” He asked.

   “Well yeah, but uh, he had to go early and we didn’t finish catching up … So he’s buying me dinner.” You replied.

   “Dearie, I don’t think that’s the best idea.” Mettaton replied in a concerned tone.

  “Huh? What do you mean?” You furrowed your brow.

   He paused again. “Well, my dear, I didn’t get the best vibe from him yesterday. He seemed rather … insensitive.”

   “Oh, no, don’t worry about that. He’s a good guy, really.” You said on impulse, defending him.

   “Whatever you say, darling ... I don’t agree.” He replied seriously. “I have to go, dear, I hope you have a good time on your date.” His response was quick and abrupt, he hung up before you could answer.

   ‘What was that all about?’ You thought to yourself.

 

~~~

   It eventually reached closing and you did all that was necessary, locking the door behind you. Jarred said he was going to meet you at the library and the two of you would walk to the restaurant together. You stood outside with your back against the building as you looked down at your phone. There weren’t any new messages from him in the last 5 hours, so you sent him a text, letting him know you were out of work.

   You got a text back a few minutes later, him replying that he would be there soon. So, you waited, you waited almost 15 minutes until he showed up.

   “Hey, sorry I took so long, I took a wrong turn somewhere.”

   “That’s okay.” You replied with a nod.

   He adjusted his glasses and offered you his arm.

   “Oh uh, you don’t have to do that, it's okay.” You said with a dismissive wave of your hand.

   “Aw, why not? Think I got cooties or something? C’mon, take my arm.” He said in a playful but demanding tone, almost raising his voice.

   “O-Okay.” You said with a nod, taking it as you two began walking.

   The two of you made your way to the restaurant, as you walked to the library, the scenery shifted and you eventually made it to the ritzier part of the city, around the area where Mettaton and Napstablook lived. Jarred and you made small talk about what was new in the city since he moved away. As you walked and talked, you eventually passed their glamorous apartment building, glancing at it as you walked past.

   Eventually, both of you made it to the restaurant, it was really fancy. You looked around as the host brought you to a table. You were dressed nice, but felt like you should’ve dressed a little nicer.

   You sat down and Jarred sat across from you. “Order anything you want.” He said with a smile.

   You nodded and opened the menu and looked through it, the prices were through the roof, was he trying to impress you or something?

   “Do you want wine?” He asked.

   You glanced up from the menu. “Oh uh, I think I’m okay.”

   He frowned a bit. “Aw, c’mon, are you sure? I’ll buy a bottle.”

   Not really feeling like drinking tonight, you rejected again. “N-No, it’s fine.”

   “Dude, c’mon, let loose a little.” He said. “I’m just gonna get some anyway.”

   You sighed to yourself as the waiter came over, he ordered a bottle and two glasses. Looking down, you looked over the menu again. Since you had more ‘child-like’ eating habits, nothing on the menu actually really appealed to you.  

   After a moment, the waiter came back and poured the two glasses, leaving the bottle in an ice filled bucket beside the table. You looked at the glass in front of you, aside from the fact that you didn’t want to drink, it was red wine, you hated red wine, actually, you didn’t even really like wine unless it was champagne.

   Jarred picked up his glass and motioned it toward you, to clink with yours.

   You picked up yours, clinking it against his softly.

   “To our reunion.” He smiled, putting the glass to his mouth and taking a sip.

   You sipped yours and tried not to make a face, it was bitter and tasted horrible.

   “So, do you have any idea what you want?” He asked.

   You glanced at the menu. “Not really, you?” You asked.

   “Probably a steak, I heard this place has the best in the area.” He replied.

   You nodded and looked over it more.

   “I think you might like this pasta dish, it looks really good.” He said.

   You scanned it a bit more. “I’m not really in the mood for pasta, though.”

   “I still think you should get it, when are you gonna get another chance to eat like this again? You work at a library, it's not like you have the money to do this, unlike me.”

   You clenched your teeth for a moment, then stopped, replying to him calmly. “No, I’m going to decline your suggestion of pasta, I’m getting something different.” You looked over the menu more. But, as you did, the waiter came over, asking if the two of you were all set.

   Jarred spoke on your behalf. “Yes, I’ll be having the porterhouse with a baked potato and a salad, and they’ll be having the evening’s pasta special dish.”

   The waiter nodded with a smile and offered his hand to take your menus.

   You folded yours up and handed it to him, when he walked away, you rubbed your temples with a hand.

   “You okay?” Jarred asked.

   “Yeah, Jarred, I’m fine.” You said, in an agitated tone.

   His face twisted into a bit of a scowl, he picked up his glass, took a sip, then was smiling again. “So, how was work today?” He asked.

   “It was fine, I guess.”

   He nodded, looking you over, responding with, “Did I mention you look amazing tonight?” he leaned forward a bit.

   “Oh uh, thank you.” You responded, nodding a little bit.

   He smiled. “I really mean it, you look stunning.”

   You nodded. “T-Thanks.” You blushed softly, glancing down. What were you doing? You couldn’t start falling for him again. Glancing back up to him, he was smiling, he looked very charming.

   The two of you made small talk until your food came.

   “Wow, this looks fantastic.” He smiled.

   You nodded, glancing down at the dish you had been served, since you were in this luxurious high end place, it looked good, but you just didn’t feel like eating it. But, you picked up your fork anyway.

   “So, have you gotten into anything new recently? Like shows or books or anything?” He asked, cutting his steak.

   You glanced up to him and nodded. “I’ve started getting into that book series that everyone has been going on about, the new dystopian one?” You asked.

   “Oh, the newest one with monsters in it? Vaguely similar to The Famished Games?” He asked, his interest piqued.

   You nodded. “Yeah, that one.”

   “How many have you read?” He asked.

   “I’m on the second one.” You replied.

   “Wow, what a coincidence, me too!” he exclaimed. “How about after dinner, we go back to my hotel, we can talk about it.”

   “Oh uh, I dunno.” You set your fork down and rested your hand on the table. “I have work early tomorrow.” You looked down.

   Suddenly, you felt his hand on top of your own, you looked up, he was smiling, but not cheerfully, it seemed almost malicious. “Or, we could just leave now and head back to my place.”

   “Uh … What about the food?” You asked.

   “I don’t really care about it to be honest.” He said, his smile twisting more toward seductive, gripping your hand tighter. “To be honest, seeing you at the library the other day reminded me of our days in college. You’ve grown so much since then, and you’ve gotten even more attractive, I don’t even know why we never dated then, do you?” He asked. “Truth be told, I know you used to have a monster crush on me, but I never acted on it. But, at least I’m here now. So, what do you say we get out of here, head back to my place, and I’ll send you to the places you only dreamed of going?” He asked, the grip on your hand tightening more.

   All of this information was thrown at you out of nowhere. At first you were flattered, but then with each word he muttered, your feelings started to twist and turn, along with your insides. After being flattered, came embarrassment upon him telling you he knew about the crush you had on him, last came anger. Who did he think he was? Was he really trying to get you to sleep with him after admitting all of this to you? You were enraged, and with the hand he wasn’t gripping, you picked up the glass of wine you barely touched, and splashed it into his face.

   He let go of you and brought his hands to his face. “What the fuck?!” He yelled.

   You stood up, the whole restaurant turned to your direction, but you didn’t care, you yelled at him. “Who the hell do you think you are? Do you think I’m someone you can just wine and dine? Do you think after leaving for two years that the feelings I had for you are still there? Do you think I’m just some kind of quick fuck you can get in before you leave?! Stay the fuck away from me!” You yelled.

   You turned away, grabbed your coat from the back of the chair, and stormed from the restaurant. As soon as the cold rush of air hit your face, your anxiety attacked you with the full force of a speeding train. What had you done? Why on earth did you do that??

   Walking quickly down the street, not putting your coat on, you began to hyperventilate, but not from the cold. What if he came after you? What if he tried to see you again at the library tomorrow? What if he was following you now? You looked back, he wasn’t.

   You turned ahead, almost tripping, and kept rushing down the street, your mind brimming with more horrible ‘what if’ scenarios. As the voice in the back of your head kept telling you these negative thoughts, you began to cry as you rushed down the empty street. Wiping your eyes and trying to find the air to breathe, you saw the high end building where both Mettaton and his cousin lived. Without a second thought, you rushed to the door, going inside. You were able to hold your tears and gasping sobs as you waited for the elevator. Stepping inside, you pressed the button labeled 30, and as the door closed, you began crying again. Suddenly you started feeling dizzy, you leaned against the wall of the elevator for support, your heart raced and pounded in your ears as you cried, you felt like you were going to pass out in the middle of the elevator. You tried wiping your eyes, but the tears were ceaseless.

   The elevator arrived at the 30th floor and there was a single door about 10 or so feet away. You rushed over to it, covering your mouth to suppress your sobs and gasps. Bringing your free hand up, you knocked quickly.

   You heard Mettaton’s cheery voice from the other side, but you couldn’t focus on what he had said. The door opened, but you couldn’t look up at him, only keep crying and trembling.

   Mettaton got down on his knees in front of you, saying your name a few times as he put your head into his hands. “What’s wrong? What happened?” He asked quickly, trying to figure out what was going on, his eye darling back and forth between yours, searching for answers.

   You took your hands off your mouth to speak, but all that came out was sobs. You fell to your knees.

   He wrapped his arms around you and rubbed your back softly. “Shhh, It’s okay, I’m right here.” He said softly.

   After crying on the ground, in his doorway for what seemed liked forever, your sobbing began to lighten and you took some deep breaths so you could try and breathe again. You opened your mouth and able to speak again, you muttered a soft, “I’m sorry.”

   Mettaton let go of you and took your head into his hands again, wiping your tears with his thumbs. He said your name softly “what on earth do you have to be sorry for?”

   “S-Showing up o-on your d-d-door so l-late, i-in the m-m-middle of a p-panic attack.” You said in a wave of stutters, still trying to catch your breath.

   “No, no, sweetheart, don’t say that, it’s okay.” He said quickly and reassuringly. “C’mon, let’s get you inside.”

   “I-I can’t stand.” You replied.

   Without hesitation, Mettaton scooped you up into his arms and carried you in. You were trembling in his arms. He looked down at you, your eyes were bubbling with tears, you felt like you were going to start crying again. He quickly said. “Shh, shh, no more tears. It’s okay, I’m right here.”

   You took a really big breath, stopping yourself from returning to your previous blubbering state.

   Mettaton then set you down on what might have been his bed, you didn’t know and didn’t care. All you wanted was to be with him, so he could protect you. He sat down with you on the bed and took your hands into his. They were a bit warm. “Are you okay?”

   You nodded. “Y-Yeah, f-for the most part.”

   He exhaled in relief. “Do …” he paused “you want to talk about it?”

   “No.” You answered automatically. Then breaking eye contact, you looked down at your hands that were being gently held by his. “N-Not right now. I … I feel like I’m going to pass out”

   “Let’s get you to bed, then.” He said softly. Then, he stood up. “I’m going to get a change of clothes for you, okay?”

   You nodded hesitantly and he let go of your hands, going over to a door. Opening it, he walked in what was probably a walk in closet. A few moments later he came back with a sweater and some pants.

   “Will these do, sweetie?” He asked.

   You nodded, taking the clothes from him.

   “I’ll wait outside for you, okay?”

   You nodded again, then watched him walk out of the room. Getting to your feet, you wobbled a bit and almost fell, but you didn’t. You changed into the clothes he gave you, they smelt like him. After folding your clothes and setting them on one of his chairs off to the side, you made your way to the door and opened it.

   Mettaton looked up quickly. “All set?”

   You nodded.

   He walked into the room and went over to the bed with you. Lifting up the sheets for you, you climbed onto the bed and under them. His bed was amazingly soft, like clouds, compared to your dinky mattress at home. Mettaton then climbed into the bed with you, then reaching over to the side to get his charger, proceeding to plug it into the back of his neck.

   “M-Mettaton?” you asked.

   He turned back to you. “Hm?”

   “Thank you.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fuck Jarred, get him the fuck outta here
> 
> But yeah, the conflict was short lived, but there'll be more later, don't worry.
> 
> Also, at the current time of uploading this, I'm home from college for thanksgiving break, so I may not be able to upload much more on account that I don't have much more written. So, I'm sorry if it takes a day or so for me to update.
> 
> I'm also kinda paranoid cause I think people are copying my fic ...
> 
> In the next few days, I think I will actually be changing my url on tumblr temporarily to demisexualmettaton, but I'm still not sure if I want to go through with it. I'll let all of you know if it happens. 
> 
> I also FINALLY got a bit of a playlist done! Go take a listen!!  
> http://8tracks.com/koalolive/bookmarks
> 
> I'm still looking for some more song suggestions, specifically relating to the chapters themselves, rather than reader and Mettaton's relationship as a whole., but even if you have some for the whole, let me know!!
> 
> If you want talk about the fic or make any fanart or whatever, hmu at koalolive.tumblr.com
> 
> Thanks for taking the time to read. If you have any general comments, critique, or suggestions, don't hesitate to leave a comment. I would really appreciate suggestions of any kind.


	15. Paint

   It had been four days since your horrible experience at the restaurant with Jarred, and even though it wasn’t a long time, it felt like years away. When you had woken up the following morning, Mettaton was up before you, his eyes fixated intently on you as he lie there beside you. You remember that clear as day even though you were half asleep. He immediately asked if you were okay once you were awake enough to comprehend what was going on, and you told him. You told him everything that had happened with Jarred at dinner, as well as in the past at college. How you met in an animation class sophomore year and were immediately joined to the hip. You had a huge crush on him from the start, and you thought things were going great, but then out of nowhere he started dating another one of your friends, you were devastated. Weeks later, they broke up, and you hoped that you would be able to subtly show him that you were interested, but he never noticed. He flirted and wooed you, but never thought anything of it. This was a vicious cycle for the next three years until graduation. You told Mettaton that you were so blinded by your infatuation with Jarred, that you lost three years of your life that you couldn’t get back. You went on to talk about what happened the previous night, that Jarred was only trying to reconnect with you, to get into your pants, so you threw wine on him and left. Upon hearing the whole story, Mettaton wanted to go ‘have a word with him’ but you told him no. So, he suggested sending Jarred a glitter bomb. You said you would have loved to, but you didn’t know where he was staying, and also didn’t think he was worth the effort.

   But all of that was days ago, now, you were focused on the project at hand, your home.

   “That’s everything.” You said, putting your hands on your hips triumphantly. You were standing in the doorway, looking at your empty apartment. You had helped a crew that Mettaton hired to get everything out of your apartment and take to be donated, so now you stood in a completely barren apartment, except for your bathroom, which had almost everything but the towels and shower curtain. All of your personal belongings were either in the bathroom, your small closet, or on the kitchen counters.

   How the rest of the renovations were going down, were that today, Mettaton and yourself were going to be painting your apartment, letting it dry overnight, and he would come in the next day and take care of everything himself. He insisted on surprising you. But, it's not like you were going to be sitting around doing nothing all day, tomorrow was the day you were finally going to do the window painting for the library that your boss, Winnie, had commissioned you to do. You were actually really excited for it.

   You felt a tap on your shoulder. Looking over it, there was no one there. Then, feeling a tap on your other shoulder, you turned that way, no one there either. “Mettatoooon.” You whined playfully.

   He then moved to the front of you, smiling sweetly. “I’m only teasing, darling.”

   “Is everything all set downstairs?” You asked as you glanced over him. He was wearing a really cute, black, french style artist smock, and his hair was pulled back, up into a small ponytail.

   He nodded. “I just tipped the lovely people for their time, and they’re headed to donate the items.”

   You nodded in response. “Are we all set to start painting?”

   “Yes, indeed we are, can you go grab everything while I start laying down the sheets?” He asked.

   “Sure.” You replied and went over to the bathroom, carrying out the paint rollers and trays, then taking a second trip to grab the two paint cans, they were pretty heavy but you could carry them. Setting them down, Mettaton was able to pry off the lids with his hands, you clapped lightly.

   He chuckled lightly and poured paint into each of the trays. “You ready to get dirty?” He asked.

   “Almost!” You rushed over to the bathroom again to grab your smock, it matched Mettatons, but was grey. You had your own one that was just a normal apron covered in paint from your old days at school, but Mettaton insisted on getting you a new one, not wanting you to have any chance of being plagued with the thought of Jarred. As you walked back over to Mettaton, you slid the smock over your head and popped your arms out of the arm holes. “Now I’m ready.”

   “Alright, let’s get rid of this horrible puke color.” He said cheerily as he leaned down and put one of the rollers into the paint.

   You smiled and grabbed the other roller and did the same. The two of you went over to one of the walls and began to roll the soft lavender color along it. After rolling for a few moments of silence, you glanced over to him. “Hey, Mettaton?”

   “Hm?” He glanced over.

   “Do you want to listen to some music?”

   He smiled. “That would be lovely.”

   Smiling, you set the roller down into the tray, then went over to the bathroom and picked up your laptop that was sitting on the back of your toilet. You opened it as you walked back over, sitting in the middle of the floor, you scrolled through your music library, looking for a playlist. “Do you have any requests?” You asked, hoping it would make your decision easier.

   “Hm … Something upbeat … like Ke$ha?” He asked as he continued painting.

   “I have just the playlist.” You smiled. You clicked on one you had titled ‘His Taste’. A few weeks ago you had watched a movie from years ago where cassettes were still a thing and making someone a mix tape still happened. On impulse, you made a playlist of music you think Mettaton would like, planning to show him in the future, but every time you had wanted to tell him, you thought it would be too weird, so you never did. When you hit shuffle, the first song that started to play was _Applause_  by Lady Gaga.

   “Good choice.” Mettaton said cheerily.

   You smiled and got up from the ground, leaving the laptop in the center of the room, away from the paint, and made your way over to the wall where you were painting. Picking up the roller, you continued from where you left off. After painting a little more, the fumes from the paint were starting to get to you. “Hey Mettaton, do you mind if I open a window? I’m starting to get a little bit of a headache from the fumes.”

   “Oh of course, I’ll do it.” He replied, setting the roller down and proceeded to head over to the window.

   Before this particular moment, you had painted most of you section of the wall, but there was a big patch toward the ceiling left unpainted. You reached up to try and get at it, but you were too short. You stood on the tips of your toes and got a little bit more, but it didn’t really help. Suddenly, you felt a set of hands grasp your waist, lifting you up. Gasping, you looked over your shoulder.

   “Need a little boost?” He asked with a smile.

   “M-Mettaton! P-Put me down!” Your face was hot and you were also trying not to laugh, you were kind of ticklish at your waist.

   “Why? You need to reach the top, don’t you?” He asked, tilting his head in confusion.

   “I-I’ll get a-a ladder!” You said, biting your lips so you wouldn’t laugh.

   “What’s the fun in that?” He smirked playfully, squeezing your waist a bit more.

   “Ah!” You gasped again, giggling a bit. “P-Put me down!”

   He set you down, but didn’t let go of you, squeezing again. Giggles turned to laughter as you covered your mouth with the hand that wasn’t holding the paint roller.

   “I didn’t know you were so ticklish.” He said with a laugh, deciding to finally let you go.

   You turned back to him and pulled the hand from your mouth. “Don’t ever do that again.” You threatened, but in a non threatening tone.

   He only smiled and stepped around you, extending his arm up to paint the spots you couldn’t reach.

   You pouted and moved away from him to another wall, beginning to paint it. As you did, _We R Who We R_ by Ke$ha started playing, and you began to hum along.

   Mettaton said you name and you glanced over to him as you rolled the paint up the wall. “Will you sing for me?” He asked.

   “W-What? No.” You replied quickly, looking back over to what you were painting.

   “Aw. Darling. why not~” He whined.

   “I-I don’t like to sing in front of people.” You said nervously. Then, you heard his heels click over to you, proceeded by feeling both of his hands on your shoulders.

   “Honey, please? For me?” He whispered. “Just pretend I’m not even here.”

   You felt your whole body go hot. “T-That’s a bit hard to do … H-How can I not know that you’re here?” You continued painting the wall.

   “Well … That is true … But, you knew I was here when you sung in the shower that one time, what about then, hm?”

   “I-It was a reflex, l-lots of people do it.” You protested.

   “Pleeeeease~” He whined again.

   You looked back at him. He was pouting. Sighing and lowering your shoulders in defeat, you agreed. “Fine.”

   He let go of you and clapped his gloved hands together.

   You set the roller down in the tray and made your way over to your laptop, kneeling down, and scrolling through your music library. “I don’t know what you want to hear …”

   “Honey, anything would sound gorgeous coming from that mouth of yours.” He replied.

   You internally screamed, why did he have to be like this? Why did he have to say these things? “O-Okay …” You scrolled through, finding so many songs that you would love to sing to him, but served your feelings on a silver platter.

   “Do you need help picking one?” He asked.

   You glanced over, he was finishing up the last few patches of the wall. “Do … Do you like broadway music?” You asked.

   “Oh honey, of course I do!” He exclaimed.

   You smiled, thinking it would be okay to sing something from a new musical you had been interested in lately. _Burn_ from Hamilton began to play.

            _I saved every letter you wrote me_

_From the moment I read them_

_I knew you were mine_

_You said you were mine_

_I thought you were mine_

   You sung as you painted more of the wall, and when you were finished, you took a deep breath and glanced over to him, nervously. He was standing there with his mouth slightly agape.

   “That … Was … Fabulous!” He he smiled brightly, wiping a few tears from his eyes.

   “Y-Yeah yeah …” You blushed and went over to your laptop to go to back to the playlist you were on. You didn't even know robots could cry, and you were a pit surprised that he was.

   “Darling, don’t just brush me off like that was just an empty compliment, I’m being serious.” He replied.

   Putting on some Marina and The Diamonds for him, you stood up as you replied. “Okay, okay, thank you.”

   He smiled and went over to the wall that you had been painting and began to get to the parts that you couldn’t reach.

~~~

   For the next couple of hours, the two of you talked and laughed and painted the rest of your apartment, all that was left was a few feet on the last wall.

   “Hey Mettaton, is it okay for you to get this paint on you? Considering you’re made of metal and stuff, is it going to come off?”

   He nodded. “Of course, darling, well, I mean, I had to have dear Alphys make cleaning solution for me.”

   “Oh.” You said with a nod. “Good.”

   “Why do you ask?”

   “Because I wanted to know what would happen if I did this.” You said, gliding the roller along about 6 inches of his arm.

   He gasped. “How dare you.”

   You took a few steps back before he could try and dab you with the roller. You attempted to dodge it, but he nicked your arm.

   The two of you laughed, having a small paint battle that lasted all of 5 minutes before the two of you had paint blotches all over yourselves, but, as the fight began to die down, you tripped over the edge of one the sheets that lied the floor, falling face first.

   Mettaton gasped, calling your name “are you okay?” He asked.

   You rolled over to your back and just started laughing.

   Mettaton started to laugh as well, becoming infected by yours.

   When the laughs died down, he held out a paint soaked, gloved hand to you. You took, it, your hand being covered in the paint.

   “Darling, did you know that you have a wonderful laugh?” He asked.

   Feeling heat rise to your paint smeared cheeks, you looked up to him. “Huh?”

   He nodded and smiled, a big one, that showed his teeth. “It’s infectious.”

   You blushed more and pulled your hand away from his and made you way over to the space on the wall that still had to be painted. “T-Thank you, y-your laugh is nice too.”

   “Thank you.” He replied, following you over.

   On impulse, you slammed your paint covered hand against the wall, leaving your handprint there. Looking it over, you commented. “Handprints are weird.”

   “Indeed they are.” Mettaton agreed, putting his hand on the wall beside your print, removing it, and leaving his own print.

   “Are your hands really that much bigger than mine?” You asked.

   “I guess so.” He replied.

   “Let me see.” You said, holding your hand up to him.

   He lifted his and pressed it against yours. His fingers were long and thin, elegant even.  Suddenly, he intertwined his fingers with yours.

   Your focus shifted from his hand to his face, he was smiling sweetly. Your face reddened and you quickly pulled your hand away, going back to the wall. Why on earth did he do that? Was he just teasing you? Was he genuinely flirting or something?? Was it platonic??? The thoughts raced as you went back to painting the wall, leaving the hand prints untouched for the moment. You heard a soft laugh and glanced over to Mettaton.

   “You never cease to amaze me, sweetheart.” He said, going back to painting the high parts of the wall.

   You bit your bottom lip nervously as you continued to paint, then, all that was left was your two hand prints. You kind of wished you could have kept them there, but you slid the paint roller over your print, as Mettaton went over his.

   Looking around the room as you stepped back, you could see that all your hard work had paid off. “Wow.”

   “I think it looks lovely.” He said, cheerily.

   You nodded in agreement. “So, we’re just leaving this overnight, right?” You asked.

   “Yes, and I will come in tomorrow to take care of everything else.” He replied.

   “Are you sure you don’t want me to help you?”

   “Sweetheart, I told you, I want it to be a surprise, and besides, you have a mural to do, don’t you?”

   You sighed. “Yeah, yeah, I know.”

   “So, let’s head back to my apartment so we can get cleaned up, alright?” He asked, poking your nose softly, leaving a small smudge of paint. “Purple looks good on you.”

   You blushed and reached up, doing the same to his. “It looks good on you too.”

   He fluttered his eyelashes. “Oh really?”

   You giggled and nodded. “Yes, it brings out your eyes.” Walking over to the bathroom, you rinsed your hands and dried them on the cleaner parts of your paint covered smock. You then picked up your backpack that you had packed in advance for going to stay over his home, and your coat. You checked your cabinet to make sure you grabbed the bottles you needed, you did.

   You exited the bathroom and saw Mettaton picking up and folding the sheets on the floor. “Thank you, for folding those up.” You replied.

   “Of course.” He responded.

   You went over to your laptop that was still playing music in the middle of the room, and turned it off, closing the computer, and stuffing it into your bag.

   “All set?” You heard the robot ask.

   You glanced over as you stood back up, seeing him placing the folded sheets into a pile on the floor. “Yeah, I’m all done.” You said, putting your coat on and picking up your bag, taking out your house keys before putting it on.

   They two of you exited your apartment building and you looked up at him. “Are you going to put your hair back down?” You asked.

   “Unfortunately not, I have paint all over my face, and I’m pretty sure I won’t be able to get it out of my hair.”

   You nodded, and were about to start walking, but not before Mettaton offered his arm to you. And you took it, without hesitation.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, remember when I said I was gonna take a break? 
> 
> Ahah, I really love this chapter, its so so good. 
> 
> The wip playlist for the fic can be found here.  
> http://8tracks.com/koalolive/bookmarks
> 
> I'm still looking for some more song suggestions, specifically relating to the chapters themselves, rather than reader and Mettaton's relationship as a whole., but even if you have some for the whole, let me know!!
> 
> If you want talk about the fic or make any fanart or whatever, hmu at koalolive.tumblr.com
> 
> Thanks for taking the time to read. If you have any general comments, critique, or suggestions, don't hesitate to leave a comment. I would really appreciate suggestions of any kind.


	16. Dance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit feminine (depending on the way you view gender) So I apologize in advance to masculine presenting people.

   “Darling?” Mettaton asked.

   You looked up from your laptop screen that was displaying various restaurants in the area that deliver. It had been a few hours since the two of you finished painting your apartment and upon getting to his, you showered, and he cleaned himself off. The two of you were now sitting on one of his luxurious couches, it was also dinner time. Since Mettaton didn’t need to eat, he offered to buy you food for dinner. You declined several times, but he eventually got you to agree.

   “After this, do you want to paint our nails? Since, well, we didn’t get to last time?” He asked.

   You paused, remembering why the two of you didn’t paint them last, a shiver shot down your spine.

   “We don’t-”

   You cut him off. “No, I think it would be a great idea.”

   He smiled and clapped his ungloved hands. “Great, I’ll go get my supplies.” He stood up and made his way to his bedroom.

   You smiled and scrolled through the restaurants, not sure what you wanted to eat. When Mettaton came back, you finally decided on getting chinese food. You proceeded to order it, trying to buy it yourself before Mettaton noticed, but he did, and shoved in his credit card information. Once that was done, you closed your laptop and set it aside. Mettaton was setting up all of his nail things on his coffee table.

   “Uh, Mettaton, I’m gonna be eating, so I can’t really paint my nails yet.” You said.

   “Oh sweetie, we can still do your toes.” He said sweetly.

   “I don’t think so.” You replied almost immediately. Mettaton had previously come to find out that your waist was ticklish, and you didn’t want him finding any other places that were.

   “What? Why not?” He pouted. “I would think you wouldn’t protest, considering your feet aren’t seen all that much. And besides, I’ve always wanted to paint my own, but alas,” He said, lifting up his leg. “no toes.”

   “Too bad.”

   He lowered his leg and leaned close to you. “But why?”

   You turned your head away. “Just because.”

   There was a pause, and suddenly you felt his hand poke at your waist.

   You gasped and looked up at him. “Don’t you dare.”

   “Is this why you don’t want me to paint your toes? Because you’re ticklish?” He asked softly.

   “No.” You lied.

   “Are you suuuure?” He asked, poking you again.

   You blushed. “Y-Yes I’m sure!”

   “Honey, I think you’re lying to me~” He said teasingly as he poked you a couple more times.

   Giggles escaped your lips and you brought your hands to your mouth. Removing them, you said in a defeated tone, “Fine, yes, yes, that’s why, I’m ticklish.” You pouted.

   He smiled. “I think It’s cute.” He replied, leaning away from you. “But I promise to treat you with the utmost care, because if you get ticklish, you laugh and probably kick, and then the pedicure will get ruined.”

   You paused. “Okay, fine.”

   “Perfect, alright dear, what color do you want?” He asked, looking over the rainbow of bottles. “I suggest pink.”

   “Mettaton, no matter what, you will always recommend pink.” You said with a soft laugh.

   “I didn’t suggest pink for your home, now did I?” He asked.

   “That’s because it was my decision. Anyway, how about red?”

   Looking over the bottles, he asked. “Which one, darling? I have about 8 shades of it.”

   “Okay um …” You got up and leaned over, pointing to the red you wanted, it was a bit darker, but not too dark. “That one.”

   Mettaton nodded and picked up the bottle, shaking it. “Okay, sit on the couch and rest your feet on my lap.”

   You sat back down onto the couch, your back up against the arm of it, then timidly resting your feet on him. “If you tickle me on purpose, I will kick you, don’t think that I won’t.” You threatened.

   He chuckled and took one of your feet into his hand, lifting your leg a bit and began stroking the nails. “Alright alright.”

   You blushed a bit and watched him. About half an hour or so passed before he was done, accidentally tickingling you a couple of times, but never on purpose, you were glad.

   “All set.” He smiled.

   You carefully removed your legs from his lap, shifting your body so you could set them on the coffee table. “Thank you.” You nodded. Then your mood shifted, you threw your head back and groaned. “How much longer for fooood, I’m staaarving.” But as you said that, there was a knock on the door. “Food!”

   “Calm down, dearie.” He said, standing up and heading to the door.

   You watched him from where you sat, answering the door, the delivery girl almost screaming since you had put the order under your name, the receipt didn’t have his name on it. You hoped she didn’t drop your food. After a few minutes of them taking a few selfies together, chatting, and anything else, he finally shut the door.

   “Sorry about that, dear.” He replied, handing you the bag of food.

   You took it from him and said in a playful tone, “You should be.” as you opened one of the containers and shoved a dumpling into your mouth with your fingers.

   He chuckled and sat down beside you.

   You motioned the container to him, offering one, but not verbally, since your mouth was stuffed.

   He took one with his fingers as well and bit into it, covering his mouth with his free hand as he ate it. “This isn’t half bad.”

   You ate most of the food, sharing a bit with Mettaton, within 35 or so minutes. You rubbed your full stomach. After that, Mettaton put your leftovers in his fridge and threw the trash away.

   “What color are you gonna paint your nails, Mettaton? Pink?” You asked.

   “Actually, no. I was thinking I would do black today.” He replied. “What are you thinking? Red to match your feet?”

   You shrugged. “I dunno. I was thinking, maybe grey if you have it.”

   “I assure you that I have grey.” He replied, then holding up handfuls of grey bottles.

   You smiled and pointed to a light shade. “That one.”

   He handed it to you.

   You removed your legs from the table, your pedicure had to be done by now. You opened the bottle and set it on the table, proceeding to begin painting your least dominant hand. You glanced over at Mettaton who was starting to glue nails to his fingers. You expected them to be long, but they were an appropriate length.

   You finished painting a couple coats on the nails and sighed. “It's been a long time, but I know I'm gonna mess up the other hand.”

   Mettaton looked over to you and smiled. “Do you want me to do it?” He offered.

   You paused, contemplating what would happen if you tried to do it yourself. Conclusion: a mess. You looked over to him, meeting his gaze and nodded. “I would appreciate it.”

   He offered his hand to you and you laid yours in it, handing the little brush to his other hand. Gripping your hand softly, he began to paint the nails, as he did, you soft blew on the nails you had already painted yourself. After a few moments, he finished, then proceeded to softly blow on your fingertips. Even though he was doing something as simple as that, for some reason it felt a bit intimate, your cheeks started to grow warm.

   “All set.” He smiled. His eyes glancing up to you as he let go of your hand.

   You nodded. “T-Thanks.”

   He went back to continue gluing on the rest of his nails and you watched him as you blew on your own nails.

   After a little while, Mettaton glanced over to you as you watched him intently. “Darling?”

   “Huh?” You looked up, pulling your gaze away from his nails.

   “Are you having a good time?” He asked.

   You paused. He was taking a moment away from what he was doing to ask how you were doing. For some reason you were really touched by this gesture. “Yeah, I am.”

   He smiled. “Good.” Then went back to his nails.

   For the next 30 minutes, the two of you talked and laughed while the Mettaton finished his nails, and you both waited for everything to dry.

   “Dear, is there anything else you want to do?” He asked.

   “Actually,” you said, standing up. “I just got a wave of energy.” You replied, stretching. Leaning down, you opened your laptop, pulling up a small playlist. “I feel like dancing.” You smiled.

   “Dancing? This is so sudden.” He replied.

   “I know~” You replied with a smile.

   “Honey, I don’t want you to smudge yo-”

   You cut him off. “Mettaton, shut up and come dance with me.” You demanded in a playful tone. Coincidentally _Shut Up and Dance_ by Walk The Moon started to play.

   Mettaton chuckled as he watched you start to dance. You sung along softly to the music as you did. Finally, Mettaton stood up and made his way over to you, the two of you laughing and dancing together along with the song. At one point he even took your hand and twirled you around. You laughed, not having a care in the world as the two of you danced. A few more songs played and the two of you continued dancing together. Eventually the short playlist ended and you smiled, out of breath. He smiled back, you sworn you could have heard the sound of whirring fans, but you just assumed it was your laptop.

   “Glad you danced?” You asked him happily.

   He nodded. “I am, I hadn’t danced like that in a while.”

   You smiled more and stretched, a small yawn escaping your lips.

   “Sleepy, sweetheart?” He asked.

   You nodded. “Just a little.”

   Mettaton made his way back over to the small table and began to clean up the nail polish and other things. “Maybe it's time we head to bed, we do have a big day tomorrow.”

   You nodded in agreement and walked over, helping him clean up his things. After the two of you finished putting everything away in his room, you felt a hand on your head. You looked up seeing Mettaton smiling down at you.

   “You okay in the guest room?” He asked.

   “Oh uh, yeah.” You replied with a nod, but you weren’t really sure. You honestly wanted to sleep in the same bed as him like you had done the previous two times, but you obviously didn’t say that.

   “Sweet dreams, darling.” He smiled, removing his hand from your head.

   “N-Night.” You replied and left the room, closing the door behind you.

   You proceeded to lay in the bed in Mettaton’s guest room for what seemed like hours, tossing and turning, you just couldn’t sleep. You sighed. He was so close, and still so far from you, all you wanted to do was cuddle with him. Why couldn’t you just platonically cuddle with him? That would be nice. You picked up your phone from the bedside table and looked at the time. It had literally only been 20 minutes. You groaned and climbed out of bed and made your way to the door of the bedroom, opening it, you saw Mettaton across the room, leaning over his kitchen’s granite countertop, looking at something. “Mettaton?”

   He looked up and said your name in the same questioning tone back at you.

   “What are you doing?” You asked, making your way over to him.

   “I’m quickly going over the checklist for tomorrow.” He said, holding up the clipboard. “What are you doing awake?” He asked.

   You shrugged. “I can’t sleep.”

   “And why is that?” He asked. “Lying awake thinking about me?” He asked with a playful smirk.

   You blushed and turned your head away from him. “You wish!”

   He laughed and covered his mouth. “But really, is there anything I can do to help, darling?” He asked.

   You shrugged. “I dunno, I’m probably just uncomfortable sleeping in a house that isn’t my own.” You said.

   “You slept here the last time.” He replied.

   You furrowed your brow. “Well, that’s because I just had a panic attack, remember?”

   Realizing the mistake he made of forgetting, he frowned and apologized. “Oh dear, I’m sorry.”

   You waved him off. “It’s okay.”

   “Alright … Well, is there anything I can do to help you sleep better tonight?” He asked.

   You shrugged. “I dunno … I’ll probably be awake until 4 or something ridiculous like that.”

   He frowned again. “Well we can’t have that, maybe sleep with me tonight?” he suggested.

   Your face reddened and you looked up at him. “W-What?”

   “Maybe if you have company?” He suggested. “Then maybe you could sleep?”

   “Oh uh.” You paused. Being confronted with the very thing that you wanted to happen, you weren’t sure how to accept it. “O-Okay.” You nodded.

   “Good.” he smiled. “You go on ahead,” He said, shooing you with his hand. “I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

   You nodded and made your way to his room. Once you got into it, you took a deep breath to calm down, but inhaling the smell of his room made you even more flustered. You just rushed over to his bed and climbed into it, once again, unable to believe how soft it was. You laid down and pulled the blankets up, over your head, hiding underneath them. After a few moments, you heard his bedroom door close.

   You poked your head out of the blanket, and Mettaton was walking over, covering a laugh with his hand. “What on earth are you doing?”

   “Just enjoying how amazingly soft your bed is.” You replied.

   “The one in the guest room is just as soft.” He retorted.

   You gasped playfully. “Mettaton, you couldn’t be trying to get me to to leave after you invited me to stay with you, would you?”

   “What? Of course not, my dear.” He replied playfully and climbed into the bed with you, proceeding to plug his charger into the back of his neck.

   On impulse you wanted to cuddle close to him, but stopped yourself. “G-Goodnight, Mettaton.” You said.

   Mettaton leaned over the side of the bed and clicked the light off. “Sweet dreams, dear.” He replied.

   When he turned back to face you his pink eyes were glowing softly, you couldn’t help but blush. After a few moments, you realized you were staring at him, and he was staring back. Your cheeks flushed more. “W-Why are you staring at me?” You asked.

   “Because you’re staring at me.”

   “N-No I’m not.”

   “Yes you are.” He replied.

   You puffed out your cheeks.

   He chuckled softly. “Why are you staring at me?”

   You didn’t mean to, but you immediately responded. “Because your eyes are really pretty.”

   In the darkness, you saw him blink a few times, and in the silence, you were 100% positive you heard his internal fans whirring. “Well my dear, thank you.”

   “Y-You’re welcome.”

   Suddenly, he leaned in a bit closer to you.

   “W-What?”

   “Your eyes are very beautiful as well.”

   “T-Thank you.” You replied, stuttering slightly, and embarrassed.

   He reached out a hand and put it to your face, moving a strand of hair out of the way. You felt your face burning. A few moments passed of the two of you staring into eachother's eyes before either of you said anything.

   Mettaton spoke softly,  “Night, darling.” then closed his eyes.

You wanted to tell him so badly that you were deeply in love with him, but you just turned away from him and closed your eyes, quickly drifting to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha, I keep saying that I'm gonna take a break ... And it never happens ... (Who am I, Alexander Hamilton??)
> 
> But for reals, the main reason i keep updating is because I don't want to deprive you guys of this beautiful content, I also just cant stop writing, it's getting so so good and the next couple chapters I have planned are going to be even better than these last few ones.
> 
> I'm really happy that so many of you like this fic enough to make fanart for it, playlists on 8tracks, and personally message me on tumblr and tell me how much you like it. Like, this means the world to me. Within the last 2 weeks, i've gained almost 75 followers on tumblr, how crazy is that?? SO CRAZY!! So really, thank you!!! SO MUCH!!!
> 
> The wip playlist for the fic can be found here.  
> http://8tracks.com/koalolive/bookmarks
> 
> I'm still looking for some more song suggestions, specifically relating to the chapters themselves, rather than reader and Mettaton's relationship as a whole., but even if you have some for the whole, let me know!!
> 
> If you want talk about the fic or make any fanart or whatever, hmu at koalolive.tumblr.com
> 
> Edit: Ive changed my tumblr url to demisexualmettaton, so if you go to koalolive, it should redirect you there!
> 
> Thanks for taking the time to read. If you have any general comments, critique, or suggestions, don't hesitate to leave a comment. I would really appreciate suggestions of any kind.


	17. Snowflakes

   The following morning your eyes fluttered open and you yawned, seeing the sunlight shining through the splits of the curtains. You went to move but you found that you couldn't. Confused, you looked down, seeing Mettaton’s arms wrapped around your waist, several times. Then, you realized that his body was pressed up against your back and his head was nuzzling into your shoulder. Your whole body began to grow hot. You couldn't believe this was happening, whatever it was. All you knew, was that you and Mettaton were spooning, or, something close to it. You took a couple of deep breaths and decided while you were stuck like this, you might as well enjoy it.

   You stayed in Mettaton’s curled arms for a while until you heard the little boot-up noise come from him.

   After a few more moments you heard his glitchy voice whisper. “O-Oh g-good-goodness. H-How d-di-did th-this ha-happen?”

   “I-I couldn’t tell ya.” You replied.

   Mettaton gasped softly. “D-Dear? Y-You’re aw-awake?”

   “Ha ha, yeahhh.” Your reply trailing off.

   Mettaton’s arms began to unwrap themselves from around you, but you wish they hadn’t. “I-I am so incre-incredibly sorry.”

   Once unwrapped you sat up and turned to him, waving a hand dismissively. “No no, it's fine, r-really.”

   He sat up quickly. “Da-Darling, are you s-sure?”

   You nodded “Yes, I am.”

   “B-Because I-”

   You put one hand over his mouth, and the other over the speaker on his chest, knowing that he could speak from both. “Mettaton, It’s fine. I swear.”

   He nodded.

   You removed your hands and moved the bed sheets out of the way, but as you set a foot onto the ground, you gasped and pulled it back up. “You floor is so cold~”

   He chuckled and climbed out of the bed as he unplugged himself. “W-Would you like me to c-carry you?”

   “No no, I’m fine.” You replied as you climbed out of the bed. “What time is it?” You asked as you went over to your backpack.

   “9:15” He replied.

   You nodded as you kneeled down and unzipped your bag. “And what time do we have to leave so you can stay on schedule?”

   “Half an hour.” The glitching from his voice had stopped.

   You grabbed your small bundle of clothes and stood up. Looking over, Mettaton was already seated at his vanity, his hair tied up into a ponytail as he started on his makeup. “Okay, I’m gonna go change now.” You said as you walked into the door to his bathroom, and upon entering, looking around it. You hadn’t been in his master bathroom yet and your jaw dropped when you saw the size of his bathtub. It was completely going to waste, he couldn’t go in water, so what was he going to do with it? Nothing. You rushed out of the door. “Mettaton!”

   You saw him visibly jump and heard a few static pops, he turned to you, mascara smudged across his nose.

   Covering your mouth to suppress a giggle you walked over to him.

   “Darling, you scared me, what on earth made you yell like that?” He asked in a worried, but slightly angry tone.

   You licked your thumb and leaned down, attempting to wipe away the smudge of mascara. “I’m insanely jealous of your bathtub.” You said with a pout.

   “O-Oh, is that all?” He asked, a bit of glitching in his voice, you guess you were wrong when you assumed it stopped.

   There it was again, the whirring fan noise. Becoming frustrated with constantly hearing it, you decided to ask Mettaton about it. “Hey Mettaton?

   “Hm?”

   You stood up straight, removing your hand from his face after the mascara was gone. “Is there a reason why your fans get louder? Like the ones inside you or whatever?”

   Mettaton paused, the fans whirring sound got a bit louder and filled the silence. “W-What whirring? I don’t hear anything.”

   You rose a brow. “What do you mean, ‘you don’t hear it’? It’s clear as day.”

   “No, nothing, not at all.” He said with a smile, a big forced smile, one very similar to the one he made when seeing your apartment for the first time.

   “O-Okay, well … I-I’m gonna go get dressed.” You replied, heading to the bathroom. You were worried that something was wrong, and if it was, you didn’t want to push it any further in fear of him having some kind of breakdown.

   Closing the door behind you, you disrobed and changed into your clothes for the day. The outfit was the best you could do, considering it was another day of getting covered in paint. You went over to the sink and ran some water. You had hid your two pill bottles in the bundle of the clean clothes that you were now wearing, proceeding to cup some water with your hands and used it to get the pills down.

~~~

   The day flew by in what seemed like an instant. Now being almost 4:30, you had worked over six straight hours on this mural but you were only about half done. Being a Sunday, the library wasn’t open, so you were able to work on it without distraction and people getting in the way. The painting depicted a long scene that stretched across the huge window. On one side was group of monster and human children playing in the snow, some were ice skating, some were building snow people, and some were throwing snowballs. As the piece stretched on, there was drawn wall that divided the piece, depicting a monster sitting by the fire, reading to monster and human children. All that you had done, were the outlines, which were done in a dark blue color rather than black, the background for the outside scene, and some of the background for the inside. There was still a lot more you needed to get done, but there was only so much you could do in a single day.

   You stood there with your palette in one hand, your paintbrush in the other, mixing a maroon-like color to paint more of the wood panelling on the inside of the home. A few feet away was your laptop sitting on a table, playing fun, upbeat music, surrounded by tubes of paint, water cups filled with dirty water, paint brushes of different sizes, and a couple of palettes covered in different color combinations. You painted a few strokes before you heard a light knocking. Looking over, you saw Mettaton outside, smiling happily.

   You waved to him and motioned for him to wait a second. You went over to the table setting down the palette and brush, then proceeding to the door of the library. You unlocked it, letting your robot friend inside.

   “Darling, it looks stunning!” He exclaimed, wrapping his arms around you.

   Blushing, you replied. “T-Thank you, b-but it’s not even done yet.”

   “Of course I mean what you have done already.” He said, letting go of you.

   You nodded.

   “Do you need to have it finished by today?” He asked.

   “Uh … No, but it needs to get done within the next couple of days.” You replied, walking back over to the table. “So to be able to finish it tomorrow, I’m coming in the morning to do it before my shift, and then one of my co-workers said that they would stay a bit into my shift and cover for me while I do some more.”

   Mettaton nodded, his arms crossed as he looked at what you had done so far.

   You stepped over to the mural again, holding your brush and palette, and began painting more of the interior of the illustrated home.

   “Why don’t I help you?”

   “Huh?” You looked over to him.

   He was smiling. “If I help, won’t you get it done sooner?”

   “Oh uh, Mettaton, I dunno if that’s such a good idea.”

   He pouted. “Whaaaat? Why not?”

   “Well, for a few reasons.” You replied, going back to painting. “First of all, this is a piece that I was commissioned to do, me, and just me, not a collaboration. Secondly, I’ve never seen you do any art, so how do I know that you’re able to paint?”

   He was silent for a moment. Realizing you might have been rude, you turned to him, opening your mouth to apologize but he cut you off. “Darling, I assure you, I can paint.”

   You paused. “Do you have proof?” You asked.

   “Well no, but-”

   “Then no.”

   Mettaton pouted again. “Sweetheart, I want to help you.”

   “Can you help me in other ways beside painting?” You asked.

   He perked up “How?”

   You giggled a bit. “I haven’t eaten all day, do you think you would be able to pick me up something?” You asked. “I can pay you back.”

   Mettaton waved his hand. “No no, I’ll treat you.”

   You frowned. “Mettaton, you bought me dinner last night, you don’t need to keep buying me food.”

   “Darling, it’s my pleasure to buy food for you.” He smiled. “Now, what do you want me to get you?”

   You pursed your lips in aggravation, then proceeded to sigh. “I dunno, surprise me?” you asked.

   He smiled “Alright, surprise it is, I’ll be back soon.”

   You watched him walk out the door and strut down the street. With a sigh, you went back to painting. Within the half hour of him being gone, you were able to finish up the entire interior of the home, including the fireplace. Since the sun had set, you didn’t have the light source coming from outside. It originally let you know that you had put enough paint on the window, so since that source of light was gone, you decided to call it a day. You went over to the table and began cleaning up, when you heard a knock on the window. Turning around, you saw the all familiar robot face holding a couple of bags. You went to the door and unlocked it, letting him in.

   “I’m back with your food, darling~” He smiled and strutted in, holding up the bags.

   “What did you get?” You asked curiously.

   He set the bags down on an empty part of the table. “Small pizzas.” He smiled. “I walking by this little shop and they had these adorable little thing, they reminded me of you, so I just had to get them.”

   You blushed a bit and nodded.

   “Oh, I also got us some cake.”

   You remembered that Mettaton had a sweet tooth and smiled. “Well I’m excited to eat, let me just clean all this up so we have some room to sit.”

   “Oh, let me help.” He replied, and started picking things up without waiting for your response.

   After a few minutes, the table was cleared and all of your stuff was packed away into your bags. Since you were going to be working on this again tomorrow, you just stored your bags of supplies behind the front desk. After you made your way back over, Mettaton had set up a little plate for you with some mini pizzas on it.

   You smiled and sat down. “You were right, these are really adorable.”

   He smiled back to you. “I wouldn’t lie to you, honey.”

   You nodded and picked one up, sinking your teeth into it, then proceeding to cover your mouth with a hand while you chewed.

   “Is it good?” Mettaton asked, leaning forward a bit.

   You nodded, after swallowing responding with, “Yeah, it's really good.”

   “Good.” He smiled brightly.

   “By the way, I’m surprised you haven’t mentioned anything about my apartment yet.” You said as you took another bite of the pizza.

   “Oh! How could it have slipped my mind?” He gasped, putting a hand to his mouth. “Well, everything went swimmingly. I rearranged everything, so it looks like you have so much more space. It looks absolutely amazing. I’m so glad with the color scheme too.”

   “I’m glad everything went okay.” You said with a smile, before eating the last of the mini pizza, then picking up a second one.

   Mettaton then shifted his gaze over to the mural on the window behind you. “Darling, you’re so talented, really, this is coming along beautifully.”

   You blushed softly and swallowed what you were chewing. “T-Thank you.”

   After a few more minutes of small talk, you finished the mini pizzas, and Mettaton pulled out two small cake boxes. Opening them, he revealed a decadent slice of chocolate cake in one box, and a slice of strawberry shortcake in the other. Your mouth watered just looking at them.

   “Which do you want?” He asked.

   “Oh, uh … I’ll take the strawberry one.” You said, pointing.

   “Good choice.” He said as he gently slid it over to you, then handing you a fork.

   You gently dug into the cake with the side of your fork, then ate it. Your eyes widened, you were pretty sure that if you were a robot like Mettaton, your pupils would have turned into stars.

   “I assume you like it then?” he asked.

   You blushed and nodded. “It’s amazing!”

   He chuckled and ate some of his.

   Silently, you eyed his piece of cake, wanting to try a bite, your eyes shifted up to meet his, he was already looking at you.

   He smiled. “Want a bite?”

   You blushed softly and nodded.

   He slid his piece toward you so you could take a bit with your fork.

   You did the same. “You can have a bite of mine.” You said as you sunk your fork into his cake.

   Mettaton took some of yours and the two of you put the forks into your own mouths simultaneously.

   “Oh wow, this is so so soooo good.” You smiled.

   Mettaton chuckled and leaned toward you, reaching a hand out to you. You blushed a bit, not sure what was going on, but Mettaton slid his thumb on the corner of your mouth. “Just a crumb.” He said.

   You nodded and blushed a bit more. “T-Thank you.”

   After finishing the cake, you stood up, smiling. “That was so delicious, Mettaton, thank you for treating me, really.”

   “Of course, my dear.” He said, in a very charming tone.

   You blushed and took a few steps over to him. “Hey, can I ask you something?”

   “Hm?”

   You sat on the edge of the table. “What made you want to be friends with me?”

   There was a pause. “Honestly, darling, I’m not so sure that I know.”

   You paused and thought a moment, thinking about how your friendship started, and as you reflected on the past, you realized how weird the way you two became friends actually was. Meeting at the library, him walking you home the next time you met, the one time at the coffee shop, and ever interaction after that.

   “You’re just different.” He said, snapping you back to reality.

   “Different? Is different … good?” You asked, cocking your head.

   He covered a laugh with his hand. “Oh of course it is, sweetie. Many of the humans I’ve met, well, they’re very self centered, or all they care about is money, or fame. They’re very vain. Well, at least in the world I live in.”

   “Mettaton, you just described yourself.” You chimed.

   Surprisingly, he didn’t get offended like you thought he would have, but he just laughed. “Darling, this is what I mean by different.” He said, wiping an invisible tear from the corner of his eye. “You’re a breath of fresh air, and every day I get to see you is like …” He paused. “Sunshine.”

   You stared at him, feeling a wave of heat start from your face and make it's way down your whole body. Embarrassed, you turned your head away from him and responded. “T-Thank you.” Quickly, your mind connected to what he may or may not have meant by sunshine. Sunshine to monsters, is very special, considering that, for most of them, they had never experienced the sun before two years ago, so to a lot of them, the sun was very, very special. You felt your face get even hotter.

   As your head was turned away from him, your eyes traveled over to the window, but you weren’t looking at the mural, you saw something on the other side of the window, outside. You gasped softly and stood up from the table, rushing over to it.

   “What’s wrong?” He asked.

   “It’s snowing!” You yelled, not turning back to him, rushing over to the door, and standing outside. The street had been covered in a very light dusting, and small flakes were falling slowly from the sky.

   Mettaton appeared beside you, glancing over, you saw him looking up to the sky as well. “Snow is beautiful, is it not?”

   “Y-Yeah.” You replied, looking up at his smiling face that was fixated upward. You looked over his profile, small snowflakes getting caught in his eyelashes and hair, his plump lips fixated into a gentle smile. Rather than the sky, to which he was referring, you complimented. “B-Beautiful.”

   Staring at him you started thinking. You were having an internal battle. One half of yourself was telling the other to stop what you were about to do, but you didn’t listen, it had been long enough. You couldn’t wait any longer, even if he didn’t accept, you just needed to tell him. You reached out and gently touched the tips of your fingers to his hand.

   His gaze shifted from the sky, down to you. “What is it, dear?”

   You turned your body to him, looking down at your feet, not responding.

   “Darling?” He asked, turning toward you.

   You looked up at him, making eye contact with his single, visible eye. “M-Mettaton …”

   “Yes?” He asked, his voice hinted with a pang of worry.

   You took a deep breath and said softly as you stood there, eyes locked, surrounded by the falling snow.

 

 **  
**               “I’m in love with you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (✿◕ ‿◕ฺ)ノ 
> 
> Here it is, the chapter you've all been waiting for. Well, half of it.  
> But, yeah, I wonder what Mettaton's reaction will be?? Hahaha
> 
> At the time of uploading this, I'm back at school and will be in finals mode for the next two weeks, so if I don't update, you'll all know why.  
> (Did I plan to make the confession during a time where I was to take a small break and leave you waiting? Probably! But I'm not going to make you wait 2 weeks! Oh GOD no, just maybe a couple extra days, I'm not sure yet.)
> 
> ~~~  
> The wip playlist for the fic can be found here.  
> http://8tracks.com/koalolive/bookmarks  
> edit: I updated the playlist!
> 
> I'm still looking for some more song suggestions, specifically relating to the chapters themselves, rather than reader and Mettaton's relationship as a whole., but even if you have some for the whole, let me know!!
> 
> If you want talk about the fic or make any fanart or whatever, hmu! Ive changed my tumblr url to demisexualmettaton.tumblr.com, so, if you still end up going to koalolive, it should have a message to redirect you there!  
> But please, if you can, if you're going to tag or @ me, along with demisexualmettaton, please include koalolive with it, so that when I switch back, I'll still be able to find things with one tag!
> 
> Thanks for taking the time to read. If you have any general comments, critique, or suggestions, don't hesitate to leave a comment. I would really appreciate suggestions of any kind.


	18. Dizzy

   There was silence. You has just confessed, telling Mettaton that you were in love with him, and all that you could hear, was silence. Your anxiety began to take over. What had you done? You messed up, you completely fucked up. The corners of your eyes began to fill with tears, you were about to open your mouth to apologize, but the unimaginable happened.

   The agonizing silence was quickly filled with the sound of whirring fans. And, after the mere seconds that felt like forever, Mettaton took your head into each of his hands, tilted it upward, and before you knew what was happening, his lips were pressed against your own.

   Small tears rolled down your cheeks as he pulled away moments later. Mettaton was smiling down at you, lovingly, he said your name softly.

   “Y-Yes?”

   He wiped your tears with his thumbs as he held your face. “I love you, too.” He smiled.

   You weren’t sure how to respond, but since a few tears had already escaped your eyes, you began to cry.

   “Oh no, dear, don’t cry.” He said nervously, pulling his hands from your face.

   “I-I-I was so s-scared.” You said, crying more, putting your face into your hands.

   “Oh honey, what on earth were you scared about?” He asked softly.

   You took a deep breath and looked back up to him, trying to speak through your tears. “I-I-I-”

   “Shh, shh, let’s go inside.” He said, opening the door, ushering you in.

   You walked in with him and wiped your eyes with your sleeves. Looking up to him, he was looking at you, a worried expression painted on his face. “I-I’m sorry I’m crying, these are happy tears.” You replied, as they began to lighten.

   He leaned down, placing a soft kiss on your forehead. “It’s okay. I’m sorry I kissed you without asking.” He replied.

   You felt your face head up and waved both of your hands dismissively. “N-No, no, I-It's okay.”

   Mettaton sat down in a chair at the table you were at previously, motioning you over to him. You took a few steps over, and he suddenly wrapped his arms around your waist, pulling you onto his lap, your back against his chest, and he rested his chin on your shoulder. He said your name gently.

   “Y-Yes?” You asked nervously.

   “Tell me why you were scared, sweetheart.” He said softly.

   You looked down timidly. “Well … I … Um, I was scared that … I would tell you that I liked you, and you wouldn’t like me back … a-and I would ruin our friendship … and you would hate me …” You said, looking down nervously.

   “Darling, why on earth would you think that?” He asked, concerned.

   You continued looking down and shrugged, you knew why, it was your anxiety, but you weren’t ready to tell him about all that.

   “Well,” he said, lowering his voice to a whisper. “I feel anything but hatred toward you.”

   You felt your body grow hotter and your gaze shifted from your lap, to his hands wrapped around your waist, staring at them in silence. A few moments passed before you said anything. “M-Mettaton, why do you like me?” You asked.

   “What do you mean, why?” He asked, lifting his head from your shoulder.

   “I mean … I dunno ... why?” You asked again.

   “Darling, it might take hours to list the reasons.” He said.

   “What’s the main reason?”

   He paused. “Sweetheart,” He started, putting his head back on your shoulder. “I’m not sure I know the right words to explain how captivated I am by you.”

   Your cheeks flushed slightly. “R-Really?”

   “All I know, is that every day that I go without seeing you, is like … the night sky without stars.” He said softly, nuzzling his head against yours.

   You felt your face burning and your stomach was doing somersaults. “Y-You really feel that way about me?” You asked.

   “I wouldn’t say it if it wasn’t true, darling.” He said softly, his voice filled with a bit of amusement.

   As the heat in your face only intensified, you lightly nuzzled your head back against his. A second later, the fans. “M-Mettaton.” You said, attempting to turn on his lap, but the grip on your waist was tight, so you didn’t budge.

   He laughed lightly and loosened his grip, allowing you to shift to the side on his lap, but he was still holding you tight enough in case you were to fall sideways off him. “Yes?”

   You put your index finger on his chest plate, between his speaker and dial. “Will you tell me what’s up with the fans now?”

   He looked at you a moment and the fans whirred. “I don’t hear-”

   “Mettaton.” You cut him off, pouting.

   The robot sighed. “I guess there’s no use in hiding it anymore.”

   You looked at him with a puzzled expression.

   “My dear, sometimes there are things that you say or do that make me very …” He paused to find the word, removing his hands from your waist and put a finger to his mouth. “Flustered. Therefore, I tend to overheat and my fans have to cool me down.”

   “So … Kind of the human equivalent to blushing, in a way?” You asked.

   “I suppose.”

   A bit embarrassed yourself, you decide to put what he said, to the test. You attempted to shift your position on his lap, but ended up falling off him and onto the floor.

   “Ah! Darling! Are you okay?” You heard him gasp.

   But, all you could do was laugh, squeezing your eyes shut, holding your stomach, lying there on the ground, for a good solid minute. You opened your eyes seeing Mettaton leaning over you, his face a couple inches from yours. “H-Hi.” You said.

   He smiled and stood up straight, offering you a hand. “Come on, darling.”

   You took it and he helped you up to your feet. “Thank you.”

   “What were you even trying to do anyway?”

   You puffed out your cheeks and looked away. “I wanted to make you flustered.”

   He chuckled softly. “Oh really? And how are you going to do that?”

   Looking up at him, you contemplated how you would attempt this. You climbed onto the chair the two of you were just sitting on, standing on it, and now being a little taller than him, you motioned him closer to you.

   “Yes?” He asked, taking a step over.

   You leaned down ever so slightly, wrapping your arms around his neck, and placing a small kiss onto his forehead. Soon after, the fans whirred. “Jackpot.”

   “O-Oh hush.” He replied.

   You let go of his neck and hopped off the chair.

   “Alright, darling, how about we head to your apartment. I desperately want for you to see it.” He replied.

   You nodded and smiled. “I would love to!” You rushed and grabbed your coat, putting it on as Mettaton threw away all the trash from dinner. You put your coat and scarf on, and pulled your backpack on after.

   After locking the door to the library, the two of you began to walk down the street toward your apartment. After a few minutes, you glanced over at Mettaton who was looking up at the sky, watching the snow drift down as he walked. You looked back ahead of you, and burying the bottom half of your face into your scarf, you reached over and gently took his hand.

   Out of your peripheral vision you could see him look over to you. He looked back ahead and intertwined his fingers with yours.

   After walking all the way to your apartment in silence, Mettaton let go of your hand and took the keys to your building out of his pocket, he had needed them to get in and out for the redecorating, so you let him borrow them. Unlocking the door he held it open for you to walk into the building. You walked in and the two of you made your way to the fourth floor.

   “Turn around so I can open the door, sweetie.”

   “Mettaton, I-”

   “No no, turn around.”

   You laughed softly and turned around. After a moment, you heard your door open, then, suddenly Mettaton put his hands over your eyes. “Ah, hey!”

   “Darling, don’t protest.” He said playfully, turning you around. “Okay, so take a few steps forward.”

   You did. “Okay, now what?” You asked.

   “I want you to be honest with me, and tell me what you really think.” He said as he removed his hands from your face.

   Your apartment had been completely transformed, you weren't even sure you were in the same unit anymore. Despite the fact that there were more things in the apartment than before, there seemed to be a lot more space. And for some bizarre reason, Mettaton somehow knew exactly what you were looking for in an apartment. You were speechless.

   “Well … Do you like it?” He asked, still standing behind you.

   You turned to him, only able to nod, your mouth still hanging slack.

   Mettaton smiled and reached a hand over to you, pushing your bottom jaw up with a finger to close your mouth.

   Blushing, you asked, “M-Mettaton, how did you even do this?”

   “I was motivated to get this type of response from you.” He smiled.

   You turned away and walked around, sliding your hand across the back of the new love seat, making your way over to the bedroom area of the studio. Glancing around you saw a poster on the wall, of Mettaton himself, promoting his tv show. You looked back at him, pointing to the poster. “Really?” You asked, raising an eyebrow.

   He smiled made his way over to you. “Oh sweetheart, you needed my gorgeous face on your wall, even more so now since we’re … What do the humans say?” He asked, with a pause. “Going steady?”

   As soon as he finished, you couldn’t help but start laughing.

   “What?” You heard him ask while you laughed.

   You wiped a tear from the corner of your eye as you calmed down. “I-I’m sorry, Mettaton, no one really uses the term ‘going steady’ anymore, it’s from, like, the 50’s.”

   “Well I didn’t know.” He said with a pout.

   You paused, realizing what he had said a moment earlier. “W-Wait a second, y-you want to d-date me?”

   He smiled. “Oh, but of course, sweetheart! I would like nothing more than to be your boyfriend.” He said, smiling sweetly down at you.

   You buried your face into you scarf that was still wrapped around your neck, out of embarrassment.

   As he rubbed a hand on your head, he said softly. “I mean, if that’s alright with you, dear, I don’t want to force you into anything.”

   You shot your head up. “N-No, I-I would really like that.”

   He smiled. “Good.”

   You turned away to look more around your apartment. As you finally took your coat and scarf off, tossing them onto the floor, you eyed the bed, it seemed kind of familiar.

   “Do you notice anything about the bed?” He asked, expectantly.

   You looked back to him quickly. “You didn’t!”

   He only smiled.

   You jumped face first onto it, it was the same type of mattress he had. “This is like cloud 2!”

   “Cloud 2? What happened to cloud 9?” He asked with a chuckle.

   You sat up “There is no cloud 9, cloud 1 is your bed, and 2 is this bed.” You replied.

   He sat beside you, laughing softly.

   You smiled and laid your head on his shoulder. “Mettaton, I can’t believe you did this to my apartment, it’s unreal.”

   “I’m glad you like it. I had to make due with your budget, but I’m happy with how it came out.”

   You puffed out your cheeks and looked up at him. “I wasn’t going to have you pay 500 dollars for a lamp!”

   “It was a nice lamp, plated in silver.” He objected.

   “I don’t need a silver plated lamp.”

   “Of course you-” Mettaton was cut off by his phone going off. “Sorry, dear.” He said as he took it out of his pocket and answered. “Hello? … Yes … Of course I do, that’s why I contacted you last week … Why would you think I wanted it for only 3 hours, I need it the whole evening … Two weeks? No no, I need it this week … Alright, let me get back to you, thank you so much, darling.” He then hung up.

   You looked at him with a very confused expression.

   “Oh darling, I have great news. I’m having a party.”

   “A party?”

   He nodded. “Yes, to celebrate the two year anniversary of my show! Oh, and also Blooky’s album release.”

   “Oh, wow, that’s fantastic!” You smiled.

   “Yes, and it’s going to be televised, It’s going to be so much fun.” He exclaimed.

   “I’ll make sure to watch.”

   Without skipping a beat, he replied. “Oh dear, no no no, you’re going to come with me as my date.”

   “W-What?” You asked, your face growing warm.

   “My date, dear. And even the events of today never took place, you would have come as my dear friend as well as the designer of the album art.”

   “Oh well, I’m honored.” You blushed. “When’s the party?”

   He sighed. “I’m having a little trouble finding a venue soon enough, I want it to be this saturday, but nothing is open till next.”

   “Oh, I’m sorry.”

   “It’s alright, I’ll figure something out.”

   You nodded, moving from your upright position, to lying down. Mettaton laid down and looked over at you. You looked back to him, his hair had shifted out of his face, his other eye visible. The two of you started into each others eyes for a little while.

   Out of nowhere he asked, “Can I kiss you?”

   Heat rising to your face, you silently nodded.

   Mettaton then leaned over to you, placing his lips gently on your own. They were a little bit cold, but not really. They were also soft, but you didn’t know what kind of material they were made of, at this particular moment, you really didn’t care. Gently, you kissed him back. After a few moments, while still kissing, the two of you shifted from the side of the bed, to fully on it, and Mettaton’s legs on either side of you, he was towering over you. As the two of you kissed deeply, he intertwined his fingers with yours. After a minute or so, he gently pulled away, Mettaton then left a small trail of kisses down your neck, kissing your collarbone softly. Being caught by surprise, you gasped.

   Mettaton pulled away from your neck and laughed.

   “D-D-Don’t laugh a-at me!” You replied nervously, your whole body was hot, and your head was swimming.

   Mettaton climbed off of you and let go of your hands as he lied down beside you, laughing lightly.

   You brought a hand to your head, your head was still swimming, unable to believe that you were _that_ dizzy after just kissing him.

   “Sweetheart? You alright?” You heard him ask.

   “I-I’m sorry, I’m just a little dizzy.” You admitted.

   He started laughing again.

   “S-Shut up!” You blushed deeply, rolling to your side, facing away from him.

   “I’m only teasing.” He said in an amused tone.

   You suddenly felt his hands wrapping around your waist, you gasped softly as he pulled you close to him, the two of you now spooning.

  
  


   “I love you, darling.”

  
   “I love you, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I mean, I was actually gonna wait another day or two to post this, but I crave attention.  
> Also, if I was in your position, I would be waiting impatiently by my own computer for this to update.
> 
> But yeah, so like, kisses. That happened.  
> Also I'm going to remind you all, please don't imply that next chapter, or any other chapter in this fic, is going to get explicitly intimate. It Is Not. If I do want to write that, it will be in a work separate from this. The only "explicit" type stuff is going to be, uh, what the kids call 'heavy petting'? I dunno.
> 
> But I loved writing this! And I'm also gonna take suggestions for some later chapters, I have up until chapter 22 planned, so I need some more ideas for after that.
> 
>  
> 
> I recently Updated the playlist! I added, 9 or so more songs! I want to thank all the people that suggested songs and the ones I liked and thought fit, are now on the playlist. Please keep recommending songs, I would greatly appreciate it!!!  
> http://8tracks.com/koalolive/bookmarks
> 
> If you want talk about the fic or make any fanart or whatever, hmu! Ive changed my tumblr url to demisexualmettaton.tumblr.com, so, if you still end up going to koalolive, it should have a message to redirect you there!  
> But please, if you can, if you're going to tag or @ me, along with demisexualmettaton, please include koalolive with it, so that when I switch back, I'll still be able to find things with one tag! Also, tag it as 'undertale bookmarks' because thats helpful and what I tag all my stuff as.
> 
> Thanks for taking the time to read. If you have any general comments, critique, or suggestions, don't hesitate to leave a comment. I would really appreciate suggestions of any kind.


	19. Shirley

   Less than a week later, you were at Mettaton’s apartment, getting ready for this big party he was having tonight. He had successfully found a big enough venue in the shortest amount of time, a huge, elegant banquet hall. There was going to be a red carpet, well, pink carpet in this case, live music from Napstablook along with their friend, Shyren, who is another up and coming artist, really great food, and lastly, Mettaton.

   “Darling.”

   You looked up, Mettaton snapping you away from your thoughts, he was wearing a black, tailed, waist coat, with a pink tie. He didn’t have any pants on over his legs, but the heels on his boots seemed taller than normal.

   “How do you like this?” He asked, posing.

   “I think this is the one.” You smiled. “You look really good.”

   “Really? Are you positive?” He asked.

   You nodded, standing up. “Yeah, I like this one the most.”

   “Great! Now let’s get you ready.”

   “Mettaton, really, I’m fine wearing this.” You said, gesturing down to the outfit you were currently already wearing.

   He pouted. “No no, you can’t wear that, my dear.” Walking behind you, he pushed you over toward his walk-in closet. “I laid some things out for you in there, now go try them on.”

   “Okay, okay~” You said, going over to the closet and closing the door behind you.

   You expected the things he set out for you, to be completely over the top, but they were actually really nice.

   The two of you had been able to keep your relationship a secret for the remainder of the week, due to the fact that you didn’t actually have a lot of time to see each other. Your mural took two days longer than you wanted, so that took up a lot more time, and Mettaton had been getting ready for this big shindig along with his live shows every other week night. As you undressed, you thought about how even though you weren’t able to physically able to see him until today, the two of you had been texting and snapchatting non stop.

   You put one of the outfits and walked to the door, opening it and stepping out, Mettaton was already standing there, waiting for you. “What do you think?” You asked.

   “Hmm … I don’t know … What do you think, dear?” He asked.

   You looked down. “Not enough pink.” The whole outfit was pink.

   “Ha ha, very funny.” He said sarcastically. “Go back in and put one of the other ones on.”

   For the next half hour, you went in and out of the closet, trying on different things for him, until you finally agreed on one thing.

   Mettaton smiled and gently pushed you over to his vanity, sitting you down. “Let me do your hair, honey.” He said

   Blushing softly as you felt his fingers run through your hair, you watched him through the mirror, playing with it. Mettaton had already done his hair, the night before he had put it into some simple braids, resulting in his hair having a beautiful wave to it.

   After a few minutes, he spoke up.“All done.”

   You looked at yourself in the mirror, turning your head back and forth, looking at it. “I like it, subtle.”

   He smiled. “I knew you would like it.”

   You stood up and turned to him, but taken by surprise when Mettaton planted a kiss on your forehead. Blushing, you looked up to him.

   “I wanted to kiss you before I put my makeup on, darling.” He smiled.

   Without saying anything, you wrapped your arms around his neck, stood on the tips of your toes, and gently pulled him down to you, your lips meeting softly. Pulling away, you asked. “W-Was that okay?”

   He smiled, you heard his fans whirring as he kissed you back softly. “Perfect.”

   You let go of his neck and he sat down at the vanity, starting on his makeup.

   “Darling, do you mind going downstairs to see if Blooky is almost ready? We’re going to be leaving very soon.” He asked.

   “Sure.” You said with a nod. Leaving the room you made your way over to a spiral staircase. Mettaton had gotten it put in so he could go visit Napstablook without having to actually leave out the front door of his apartment.

   Looking around as you made it to the bottom, you called out. “Napstablook?”

   The small ghost floated out from a room. “Oh, hello.” They said with a soft smile.

   You smiled back. “Mettaton wanted to know if you were almost done getting ready.”

   “Oh … Yes, I’m almost ready … I wanted to show you something.”

   “Hm?” What?” You asked.

   Suddenly, they started to cry, and you were about to ask if they were alright, but the tears started to flow upward and turned into a top hat. “I call it, Dapperblook.”

   You smiled. “Oh my gosh, Napstablook, that’s amazing! I love it.”

   Their eyes darted away. “Oh gee, thanks.”

   “Can you do more?” You asked, curiously.

   They glanced back over to you and smiled a little, crying some more, and a little bowtie forming.

   “Aw, it's perfect for tonight.” You smiled.

   “Really?”

   You nodded. “Yeah, and I think Mettaton will think so, too.”

   They nodded and made their way over to their computer desk, picking up something and bringing it over to you. They handed you the case of their new CD. “I got hard copies the other day.”

   You smiled. “Oh, wow.” You stared at the case in awe, the colors in the illustration printed perfectly. You examined the back, and then opened it, seeing the design you did, made it onto the physical CD.

   “Does …. It look okay?” They asked, timidly.

   You nodded and smiled brightly. “It looks perfect.”

   “Oh … I’m glad.” They smiled slightly.

   “Darlings, are you all set down there?” A robotic voice called from the top of the spiral.

   You glanced over to Napstablook and they nodded. You turned and called back. “Yeah! We’ll be up in a sec!”

   Napstablook floated toward the ceiling and you made your way up the staircase. Mettaton was standing at the top, his makeup looked fantastic. His lashes longer than usual, pink eyeshadow, perfectly winged eyeliner, you assumed it was on the other eye as well, and his lips, ugh, they were perfect, as always. They were ombre, fading from pink on the inside, to black around the edges, they were also covered in shiny gloss and glitter.

   “Darling, I know I look stunning, but we have a schedule to stay on.”

   You tore your eyes away. “S-Sorry.”

   “Alright you two, shall we get going?” He asked, putting his hands on his hips.

~~~

   The three of you traveled in Mettaton’s hot pink limo from the apartment building, to the venue that wasn’t that far away, but obviously, he had to maintain his appearance. And even though Mettaton and his cousin were the guests of honor, he wanted them to show up on time with everyone else, rather than be early, he thought it would be an even better grand appearance. He wanted to surprise everyone, but you knew that wasn’t going to happen, since he was the only person who would show up in a hot pink limo.

   As the limo waited in the long line of other luxurious cars, your stomach started to tighten with nervousness. Mettaton had planned on telling the world, at this huge, televised event, that the two of you were dating. You hadn’t even called to tell Alphys or Undyne that it had happened, the only person that knew other than yourselves, was Napstablook.

   Probably able to sense your nervousness, Mettaton put one of his gloved hands onto one of yours, that was gripping the fabric of your clothing resting over your leg. “Darling, it’s okay.”

   You looked up to him. “S-Sorry, I’m just really nervous. Reporters and stuff are going to ask us questions, right?”

   He nodded. “But, the only questions you should answer are, what your name is, and what you’re doing there. I want you to tell them that you did the designs for Blooky’s album, and if they push further, tell them they’ll find out soon enough.”

   You nodded. “O-Okay.”

   “Everything will go perfectly fine, and even if it doesn’t, that’s because perfection is practically unattainable, if you aren’t me.” He said, making a motion to swoop his hair over his shoulder if he had long hair.

   A small giggle escaped your mouth.

   He smiled. “I’m glad I could get a laugh out of you.”

   You smiled softly.

   “Alright, darlings.” He looked over to the window as the limo pulled up to the start of the carpet. “Blooky, make sure Daperblook is on straight.” He looked back to you and said your name. “sweetheart, you look perfect, don’t change a thing.” The door was opened by the driver and Mettaton extended a leg out the door. Cheering erupted as he stepped out, and he waved, calling out to everyone. “Hello, lovelies!”

   Napstablook floated out, and you were about to climb out on your own, when Mettaton offered his hand to you. You looked up and he was smiling sweetly. You blushed softly and took it, stepping out of the limo. He offered his arm to you and you took it gently.

   The two of you made your way down the carpet a bit, people on the other side of black velvet ropes cheered, and a few newscasters talking into cameras. You glanced over at Mettaton who was waving at everyone and blowing a few kisses.

   A newscaster walked over to the both of you with a bright smile on her face. Mettaton smiled brightly and greeted her. “Hello, darling.”

   “Mettaton, who is this lovely person you’re with tonight?” She asked, looking you over.

   “Oh, this is my dear friend,” He said your name, smiling. “They’re the wonderful artist who did the art for my cousin’s new album that we are partly here honoring tonight.”

   “How wonderful! I bet our viewers would love to hear more.” She smiled.

   “Sorry, but you’ll have to wait until later this evening.” You spoke up.

   “See you later, dear.” Mettaton waved and began walking down the carpet, he turned to you and said softly. “Sweetheart, that was absolutely perfect!”

   You smiled sweetly.

   The two of you spent the next half hour, slowly making your way down the pink carpet, encountering similar newscasters, and having almost the same interaction with each one. Eventually, the two of you entered the grand hall, it was one of the most elegant things you had ever seen, with large marble columns and huge chandeliers. The two of you made your way around all the tables toward your own, and upon getting there, everyone assigned to the table, was already seated, Toriel, Frisk, Sans, Papyrus, Undyne, Alphys, Napstablook, and Napstablook’s friend Shyren.

   “Hello my darling friends.” Mettaton smiled brightly, waving to everyone.

   Everyone replied as Mettaton pulled out your chair for you. You proceeded to sit down and he pushed it in for you.

   “I have to go make sure everything is all set, my dears. I’ll be back in a moment.” He waved and strutted off. You looked back to everyone at the table and all eyes were on you.

   “W-What?” You asked.

   Sans, who was seated next to you, nudged you with a bony elbow. “Hey, kid, I’m proud of you.”

   You looked away. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

   “Dude, we all know you two are dating.” Undyne said from across the table.

   You snapped your head to face her. “W-W-What? How did you know?! W-We were keeping it a secret!”

   “N-Napstablok let it slip.” Alpys said, pointing over to them.

   You looked over to them, they were crying. “I’m sorry …”

   “Oh no, Napstablook, it's okay, I mean, everyone was gonna know later anyway.”

   “How come you never called us?” Undyne asked angrily.

   “M-Mettaton wanted it to be a surprise.” You said nervously. “I wanted to tell you, I really did.”

   “T-To be honest, I-I’m actually surprised you two kept it a secret for this long.” Alphys chimed in.

   “Yeah, he must have really wanted to keep it a secret.” Sans said.

   You looked down, half glaring at him. “To attempt and keep it from you.”

   Sans just snickered.

   As he did, you looked over his outfit. “Sans, what the heck are you wearing?”

   “My sunday best.”

   He was wearing one of those t shirts that had the tuxedo printed onto the front. Seeing his poor fashion choices made you curious about what Papyrus was wearing, glancing over, he was in a brightly colored dress shirt, with a cardigan over it, so it was appropriate for the occasion. You sighed, knowing it was going to be a long night, then proceeded to stand up. “I need a drink.” You then immediately made your way toward the bar.

   Upon getting there, you saw that it was open bar, and you sighed silently in relief, although the bartender was on fire, so you weren’t sure it was the best idea for him to handling alcohol. Ordering two drinks, you watched him mix it in silence. As you did, you felt a tap on your shoulder, looking over it was one of the news anchors, but he was without his microphone and camera.

   “Evening.” He said with a smile.

   You nodded in response.

   He slid beside you, sitting on the bar stool you were standing next to. “So, do you mind if I ask you a question, off the record?”

   “That depends.” You replied, raising a brow.

   “What are you to our honored guest tonight?” He asked, leaning forward.

   “Which one?” You replied in a sweet tone, but fully acting like a smart ass.

   “Mettaton.”

   “A friend.”

   “And how did the two of you meet?” He asked curiously.

   “I’m sorry, but that’s classified information.” You retorted.

   “There’s no use in keeping it a secret, everyone is going to find out one way or another.” He said, almost threateningly.

   “I know, Mettaton is going to tell everyone later in the evening, I’m saving everything for his big speech.” You said, pointing over to the stage.

   The man looked almost embarrassed upon hearing your answer.

   You smirked slightly and took your two drinks from the bar, walking back over to the table with them.

   Upon getting back, you leaned over Frisk’s head and set down a glass filled with bright red, bubbling, liquid in front of them, a Shirley Temple.

   They turned around, brightly smiling, you smiled back.

   “Oh, my child, you didn’t need to do that.”Toriel said, looking up to you.

   You waved her off as you sat back down in your seat. “I wanted to.”

   “ **Shirley** , you did.” Sans chimed.

   “I hate this!” Papyrus exclaimed as Toriel burst into laughter.

   You groaned. This really was going to be a long night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha yeah. I don't really have much to say, other than, I really did want to have Mettaton do reader's makeup but knowing that I have masculine presenting readers who may or may not be into that kind of thing, I left it out. So, all that wanted it, just assume he did your makeup??? 
> 
> Also check out my tumblr, I've been drawing a bit of Mettaton art and I am TRASH
> 
> I'm taking suggestions for some later chapters, I have up until chapter 22ish planned, so I need some more ideas for after that.
> 
> I recently Updated the playlist! I added, 9 or so more songs! I want to thank all the people that suggested songs and the ones I liked and thought fit, are now on the playlist. Please keep recommending songs, I would greatly appreciate it!!!  
> http://8tracks.com/koalolive/bookmarks
> 
> If you want talk about the fic or make any fanart or whatever, hmu! Ive changed my tumblr url to demisexualmettaton.tumblr.com, so, if you still end up going to koalolive, it should have a message to redirect you there!  
> But please, if you can, if you're going to tag or @ me, along with demisexualmettaton, please include koalolive with it, so that when I switch back, I'll still be able to find things with one tag! Also, tag it as 'undertale bookmarks' because thats helpful and what I tag all my stuff as.
> 
> Thanks for taking the time to read. If you have any general comments, critique, or suggestions, don't hesitate to leave a comment. I would really appreciate suggestions of any kind.


	20. Whoops

   A while had passed and anyone who was anyone, was at this party, other local celebrities, and even some from far away, had flown in. It had also been a while since you had seen Mettaton, and there was only so much of Sans and his puns that you could take.

   Suddenly you felt a pair of hands on your shoulders, followed by. “Hello darlings, how are you enjoying yourselves?”

   You smiled sweetly and looked back to him as everyone responded something positive in unison.

   Mettaton smiled down at you and leaned down to your level. “Darling, I’m going to be making my speech soon, so I wanted to let you know, as soon as it’s over, you will probably be swarmed with a wave of cameras and reporters. Just stay confident and answer only the questions you want to.”

   Feeling your mouth go dry, you nodded hesitantly, you weren’t the best with that type of stuff.

   “Are you going to be okay?” He asked.

   You nodded again.

   “Are you sure?” He pushed.

   “Y-Yes.”

   He smiled and stood up straight. “Good.” He then looked over to his cousin. “Blooky~ Come now, it's showtime.”

   The two of them proceeded to make their way up to the stage. As Mettaton got up to the podium, the house lights started to slowly dim, causing the loud hum of conversation in the hall to soften. A bright spotlight turned on, illuminating Mettaton standing at a podium.

   “Good evening, beauties and gentlebeauties! I’m so glad all of you could make it here tonight!”

   The crowd erupted with applause.

   Mettaton raised a hand to hush the crowd, and they did. “Now, I’m going to dive right into this. Coming up to the surface two years from the underground, I was apprehensive, yes yes, a robot as flawless as me can be hesitant. I knew I was a star in the underground, but not sure whether or not the overground would be welcoming to the new monster kind, I was worried I wouldn’t become the superstar I was. But, being welcomed by this amazing city, I knew my rise to stardom would be quick, and it was! Nothing has made me happier than making this city, as well as the rest of the world, entertained with my talent, and dashing good looks.

   “In the underground, I had a plethora of shows, and moving to having just one has been very difficult, but, I plan that this upcoming year a brand new show starring myself will emerge!”

   The crowd applauded.

   Once finished clapping, he continued. “Yes yes, this is indeed fabulous news, but that’s not why we are here tonight, we are here to celebrate my success up here for the past two years! I want to give one final thanks to all of you here tonight, as well as all the darling fans at home.” He gestured to one of the cameras and flashed a charming smile.

   “Alright,” He clapped his hands. “so, in addition to being here to celebrate me, we are also here to celebrate my darling cousin, Napstablook.” He said, gesturing to his cousin who was floating beside him. “My dearest cousin has spent a long while working on their debut album and it’s finally finished. I would greatly appreciate if you would support them by buying a CD this evening,” He gestured over to a table in the back of the room. “as well as enjoy some live music they will be playing for us tonight, along with our darling friend, Shyren, who will be coming out with her own CD some time next year.” Mettaton then looked over to his cousin. “Blooky, dear, would you like to say a few words?”

   Napstablook nodded and floated over to the microphone on the podium, then continued to say, softly. “Thank you.” They then moved out of the way, heading over to their DJ equipment toward the back of the stage, to start setting up.

   Mettaton took their place, smiling. “Now, I have one last piece of news. For the last two years, almost every interview I’ve had, everyone has asked me the same question, ‘is there a special someone in your life?’.” He said, putting air quotes around the question. “Well, after all this time of answering no to the very question, I can finally answer with a wonderful yes.”

   Practically the whole crowd gasped and started to murmur.

   “Yes, darlings, I am indeed off the market, now in a wonderful relationship with the arm candy you saw me show up with this evening.” Mettaton said with a smile, looking down at you in the crowd.

   You felt heat rise to your face upon being called ‘arm candy’ and bit your bottom lip out of nervousness.

   “You know what,” Mettaton said, beckoning you with a gloved hand, saying your name sweetly. “come up here and stand with me, this is screaming photo op.”

   You stood up nervously, not wanting to dismiss him in fear of him being embarrassed, and made you way over, a few feet to the stage. Camera flashes were going off as you walked up the stairs, joining Mettaton.

   He wrapped an arm around your waist, pulling you close to him. Cameras were flashing from every direction, you tried not to focus anywhere in fear of going blind. Mettaton then spoke into the microphone. “Darlings, I know all of you here, as well as at home, have some questions, so I’m going to allow just a few.” He said. “But after that, I wish that none of you bother us personally about this matter for the rest of the evening. This night is about my two year anniversary, and my cousin’s album, not my relationship status.”

   Soon, reporters made their way to the stage, Mettaton pointed to one.

   “How long have the two of you been together?”

   “Just a week.” Mettaton smiled, and then pointed to another reporter.

   “When and where did the two of you meet?”

   “Over a month and a half ago, at the library where they work.” He pointed to another.

   “Do you think you’re rushing into things?”

   Mettaton laughed. “Dear, we’re only dating, not getting married.” Pointing to another.

   “Are you worried about how your fans will react to this.”

   “A bit, but not everyone can be single forever,” He turned to one of the main cameras, smiling. “Darlings, I know some of you may be upset to find out I’m no longer single, but I still love all of you.” He then turned back to the crowd. “I will take one final question.” He said, pointing to the last person.

   The reporter looked at you. “This one is for” She said your name, motioning to you. “Do you have any expectations for your relationship with Mettaton?”

   Without missing a beat, you shook your head and answered. “Not at all, I’m just gonna take this one step at a time and see where it all ends up.”

   You felt Mettaton’s grip on your waist tighten a bit, you looked up at him, he was gazing down at you lovingly. He then turned his head back to the crowd and spoke into the microphone. “And that’s it! I hope all of you enjoy the celebration! Food will be served shortly.” He then let go of your waist and took your hand gently, leading you off the stage.

   As he got to the bottom of the steps before you did, he turned around to face you, as you still stood about two steps up. You looked at him, confused a moment, before he wrapped his arms around your waist and spun you around a couple time. You couldn’t help but laugh, wrapping your arms around his neck.

   You let go of him as he gently set you down, but as he did, a few news casters were making their way over to the two of you. Mettaton turned on his heel, crossing his arms. “I told the lot of you that I’m done with questions.”

   One of them spoke up. “But, you can’t leave us and our viewers hanging like that.”

   “I’m sorry, but this is my and my cousin’s night. Now, if I were all of you, I would let this matter rest for the evening if you don’t want to be escorted out.” He said sternly.

   Almost immediately, the small crowd that had formed, scattered.

   Mettaton then looked down to you, sighing. “How are you feeling, sweetheart?” He asked.

   You smiled a bit. “I-I’m fine, just a little flustered. That was really a way to announce it.”

   “Only the biggest and the best way.” He smiled. “Now, let’s go sit and enjoy some delicious food.

~~~

   For the next hour and a half, food and drinks were served to the tables, banquet style, and Napstablook played their music for ambiance while everyone ate. After, Shyren made her way up to start getting ready for the dance portion of the party.

   Pushing out your chair, you stood up.

   Mettaton who was seated to the side of you, glanced up. “Darling?”

   You looked down at him. “I’m going to the bar to get another drink, do you want anything?” Earlier in the evening, Mettaton had told you that due to him being half magic, he was actually able to process alcohol.

   “Hm, a cosmo.” He smiled.

   You nodded and made your way to the bar, this would be your fifth drink of the evening, but you weren’t a lightweight. It would take you at least to your sixth or seventh drinks to start getting tipsy, depending on the strength of the alcohol that is. You ordered your and Mettaton’s drinks when you felt a tap on your shoulder. You turned and saw a demon-like monster standing there, she was smiling sweetly. “Yes?” You asked.

   She asked your name in a questioning tone. “right?”

   You nodded.

   “I’m sorry to bother you, but I wanted to know if you had any more business cards? The table over there ran out.” She pointed with a claw.

   You glanced over at the table selling Napstablook’s CDs and the little stack of business cards that used to be there, were gone. “Oh uh, I had a whole box sent here. They shouldn’t all be gone.” You glanced over to where your table was, to get Mettaton’s attention but he was already on his way over. As he approached you asked him. “Hey, didn’t I send a whole box of business cards here? Where are they all?”

   Mettaton reached into his coat pocket and handed a card to the monster between his fingers. “Here, take this one.”

   The monster smiled sweetly. “Thank you so much, have a good evening you two.” She said, walking off and waving goodbye.

   Once she was gone, you looked up to him. “Do you just carry my business cards on you?”

   He smiled, nodding. “I do.”

   You blushed a bit, happy that he would do that for you. “So, where are the rest of the cards?”

   “Oh, they’re in a closet, down the hall. Would you like to go get them with me?” He asked.

   “Oh wait, lemme grab my drink.” You said, taking your drink from the bar.

   Mettaton grabbed his own and smiled, leading the way down the hall. You followed after him, sipping your drink, it was a little stronger than the other ones you had. Walking down the hall the two of you eventually made it to a door, Mettaton took out a set of keys and unlocked it. Opening it and turning on the lights, inside were stacks of Napstablook’s CDs, promotional items, and on a shelf was the long box of your business cards. You stepped in as you sipped the last of your drink, and setting the glass on a lower shelf, you reached up for the box, wobbling a little bit.

   Suddenly you felt an arm around your waist, you looked up to see Mettaton reaching up to grab the box for you.

   “Are you okay, dear?”

   You nodded. “Sorry, I guess I’m a little bit tipsy.”

   He chuckled and set the box on a lower shelf. “Darling, how much did you have to drink?”

   “Five.”

   “Five?”

   “Five whole alcohol.” You said jokingly. You then looked up to him again, he was standing slightly against you, due to the close proximities of the closet. Then, standing up on your tiptoes, you wrapped your arms around his neck.

   “Sweetheart? What are you doing?” he asked, his fans whirred a bit.

   “Nothin’ at all.” You giggled, fluttering your eyelashes.

   His fans whirred louder. “Darling, we need to get back to the party.”

   You pouted. “Will you kiss me first?”

   He leaned down and pecked your lips softly, but you couldn’t help it and kissed him back. As you kissed, you heard his fans whirr louder and you giggled into the kiss. Mettaton pulled away and started to laugh as well.

   “What?” You asked, letting go of his neck.

   “You have my lipstick all over your mouth.” He said, laughing.

   You blushed deeply and wiped your mouth with the back of your hands, getting black and pink smudges on them. You looked up to him. “Is it all off?”

   He chuckled and took one of his gloves off, wiping the side of your mouth.

   “L-Let’s get back to the party.” You said nervously.

   He chuckled and grabbed the box with one hand, and taking your hand with the other. The two of you made your way back to the hall, and as you got there, saw that the party was in full swing. The house lights were off, flashing strobe lights took their place, loud music made the room almost vibrate, and everyone was dancing on the huge dance floor.

   “Darling, let’s go put the cards on the table and go dance!” Mettaton smiled brightly.

   You smiled and rushed to the table with him, setting down the whole box, then proceeding to the crowded dance floor.

~~~

   The night carried on, dancing for hours with your friends and having an amazing time. It was now past midnight, Frisk and Toriel were long gone, having left around 9:30, and the party was winding down. Mettaton made his way up to the stage and the spotlight turned on, shining down on him. “My darlings, it's been a wonderful evening, I hope you’ve had a great time! Please get home safely.” He waved.

   Everyone clapped as Mettaton walked down from the stage. Slowly, everyone started to exit the building, then you felt a bony elbow poke your waist. You looked down, seeing Sans, he was chuckling to himself, and his cheekbones were flushed a light shade of blue.

   “He-Hey buddy.” He said, wobbling a bit.

   “Yea, Sans?” You rose a brow.

   He opened his mouth to say something, but started laughing, he attempted to compose himself. “Hey, hey, he-hey, how-how’s the, “He stopped to snicker and laugh. “H-How’s the snickle dip? I-I hear, I hear it’s, uh, it-it’s really **femur**!” He said as if he said some hilarious joke, he was in hysterics.

   “Sans, please go home and sober up.”

   He only laughed, slowly making his way toward the door.

   You sighed and glanced over to Papyrus who was looking at his cell phone as he followed after his brother.

   “Hey, Papyrus, how is everything going with your relationship?” You asked, curiously.

   He looked up from his phone and smiled brightly. “It’s going great, we’re having the best time! We eat lots of spaghetti and cook together. I love them!” He exclaimed.

   You smiled. “I’m glad.”

   As you watched him walk off, attempting to help his brother home, you suddenly heard a low voice whisper into your ear. “Hello, my darling.”

   You quickly turned to the source, your face was flushed a deep shade of red. Mettaton was looking at you, a playful smirk painted across his face. “Shall we get going?”

   You nodded and looked around. “Where’s Napstablook?”

   “Oh, they went to spend the night at Shyren’s.” He replied, taking your hand gantly.

   You nodded as the two of you made your way out of the hall and to the limo that was pulling up for the both of you. Mettaton opened the door for you and the two of you climbed in. After he shut the door, the limo started moving, and Mettaton wrapped his arms around you, pulling you into his lap. You gasped softly as he nuzzled his head into your shoulder.

   “M-Mettaton?” You asked softly.

   “Yes?” He replied just as softly.

   “Did you have fun tonight?” You asked.

   “I had the best time, darling, did you?” He snuggled closer.

   “Yeah.” You smiled to yourself. “I wanted to apologize for what happened in the closet though.”

   He chuckled softly. “It’s okay, I forgive you.” Mettaton then pulled his head away from your shoulder and gently kissed the nape of your neck.

   You gasped softly when he did, he chuckled and did it once more. You bit your lip to suppress another gasp, but then he did it again. “M-Mettaton.” You whined.

   “Yes?” He asked, his lips against your neck.

   “W-What are you doing?” You asked, feeling butterflies flutter in your lower stomach.

   “Kissing you.” He replied with a soft laugh, kissing your nape more.

   “S-Stop.” You whined, biting your lip again.

   Immediately, he pulled his lips away and loosened his grip on your waist.

   You shifted your body so that you were now sitting on his lap sideways, you felt your whole body was hot.

   “I’m sorry, darling. I-”

   You cut him off, putting a finger to his mouth. “It’s okay, Mettaton, really.”

   After a few more minutes, you made it to your apartment building.

   Mettaton glanced out the window. “Here we are.” He said, loosening his grip to let you climb off him, so he could open the door for you and let you out.

   But you didn’t move.

   “Is something wrong?” He asked, puzzled and concerned.

   “We haven’t seen each other all week … I don’t want you to go.” You frowned.

   Mettaton cupped your face with his hands. “Then I’ll stay the night, how does that sound?”

   You nodded happily.

   Mettaton proceeded to let you out of the limo and told his driver he would be staying here and that they could go home, but, before letting them drive off, Mettaton took out a charger from a compartment in the back of the limo.

  As the limo left, he turned to you. “I always make sure to have a couple of these when traveling, it's a good thing I didn’t have to go all the way home to get one.”

   You smiled, nodding in agreement as you unlocked the door to your building and let him inside. Both of you then made your way up to your apartment, getting inside, you switched on the lights. The second you entered, you kicked off your shoes and made your way over to your bed, throwing yourself onto it.

   “Darling? Don’t you need to change?”

   You groaned and rolled over to get up, but not realizing how close you were to the edge, you fell onto the floor.

   Mettaton gasped and rushed to your aide. “Are you alright, sweetheart?”

   You laughed a bit and sat up. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

   He smiled and kissed your forehead softly. “Get up and go get changed.”

   You stood up and puffed out your cheeks. “I’m an adult, I don’t have to listen to you.” You said, making your way over to your bureau.

   He chuckled. “Then where are you going?” He asked.

   “To change, but of my own free will.” You retorted and rummaged for some pajamas. Hearing him chuckle again as you pulled out some clothing, you smiled and made your way to your bathroom. Closing the door behind you, you took a deep breath and began to disrobe. Looking at yourself in your mirror, you looked exhausted. You were, but you were happy.

  Opening the door, you saw Mettaton laying the clothes he had just taken off, onto a chair in the corner. He turned to you when he heard the door open. He had already cleaned the makeup off his face. He smiled gently. “Ready for bed, darling?”

   You smiled back as you went over to your bed, getting under the sheets. “Yep. Are you?” You asked.

   He nodded and climbed into the bed with you, plugging himself in.

   After you turned off the lights in the darkness, you felt Mettaton’s cool, metal hand touch your arm. Quickly turning your head to his direction, you saw his glowing pink eye, inches from your own. “H-Hi.” You blushed.

   “Hi.” He said softly. “Darling, will you grant me permission to lay my lips upon yours?” He asked, in a suave, charming tone, but obviously exaggerating a bit.

   “You’re so weird.” You laughed softly. “B-But yes.”

   You then felt Mettaton’s soft lips press gently against yours and you couldn’t help but softly kiss back. You moved a bit closer to him, not knowing that he was doing the same, and the two of you were now pressed up against each other. As he kissed you, he wrapped one arm around your waist, and brought the other to the back of your head, running his fingers through your hair. You shivered at the feeling as you wrapped your arms around his neck, deepening the kiss. After a moment, you felt his surprisingly warm tongue swipe lightly across your bottom lip and you nervously parted your lips, never really ever having done this before. As you kissed, your tongues brushed against each others softly, and Mettaton moved the hand that was at the back of your head, down to your waist.

   Suddenly, Mettaton gripped your waist gently, and moved you so you were straddling his lap, pulling from the kiss, he proceeded to leave soft, small kisses down your jawline. You bit your bottom lip gently as he kissed his way down your neck. He then kissed and sucked on one spot, causing you to gasp softly.

   After a bit of him kissing and sucking your neck, Mettaton pulled away and you heard a soft, robotic. “Whoops.”

   You glanced down quickly, your heavy lids opening. “W-What does ‘whoops’ mean?”

   He looked up to you and, from what you could tell only by the pink light emitting from his left eye, gave a sheepish smile. “I may or may not have given you a hickey.”

   You blinked a few times. “That’s what getting a hickey feels like? Weird.”

   Mettaton the burst into laughter, and you couldn’t help but laugh as well. After a few moments of laughter you heard Mettaton speak up again. “I love you.”

   Your laughter ceased and you put your forehead against his, blushing softly. “I love you, too.”

   “Let’s head to bed.” He replied, going to lift you off his lap.

   You nodded as you moved beside him, laying down with your back to him.

   He laid down with you and you felt his arms wrap around your waist, pulling you close to him.

  “Goodnight, Mettaton.” You said softly.

   “Sweet dreams,” He said your name softly as he placed a final kiss onto the nape of your neck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> haha, we have moved from subtle Hamilton refs, to Panic! At the Disco ones. I am very trash
> 
> Also, just so ya'll know, I've been keeping track of the days and weeks, etc, with each time skip in the fic. I'm writing it as if the year is 2015 and this party is taking place on December 19th.
> 
> Sans is drunk, I have no idea what kind of pun he was trying to say, but the punchline was supposed to be 'humerus" but he fucked it up. 
> 
> Also, like, I hope I'm able to describe kissing and shit like that? Like, I've never done anything like that, so I don't know how to describe it properly??? Whatever, FUCK IT.
> 
> Look at this gouache painting I did of Mettaton.  
> http://demisexualmettaton.tumblr.com/post/134567730785/ok-so-i-spent-hours-on-this-and-i-adore-it
> 
> Go listen to the fic playlist on 8tracks, and please keep recommending songs, I would greatly appreciate it!!!  
> http://8tracks.com/koalolive/bookmarks
> 
> If you want talk about the fic or make any fanart or whatever, hmu! Ive changed my tumblr url to demisexualmettaton.tumblr.com, so, if you still end up going to koalolive, it should have a message to redirect you there!  
> But please, if you can, if you're going to tag or @ me, along with demisexualmettaton, please include koalolive with it, so that when I switch back, I'll still be able to find things with one tag! Also, tag it as 'undertale bookmarks' because thats helpful and what I tag all my stuff as.
> 
> Thanks for taking the time to read. If you have any general comments, critique, or suggestions, don't hesitate to leave a comment. I would really appreciate suggestions of any kind.


	21. Gotcha

   It was Monday, only two days after Mettaton’s glorious extravaganza. Sitting at your computer desk in your apartment, you had opened your email not even five minutes ago to find your inbox filled with 137 new emails. Your feelings were conflicted, a great handful of them were inquiries about commissions, so you were really excited about that, but a majority of them were of something you completely forgot would happen when dating a celebrity; hate mail. You sighed and clicked the box beside each one you thought was hate and sent them to the trash bin without opening them. As you made your way down your inbox you got to an email that made your stomach tighten. It was from Jarred. Immediately, you sent it to the trash, then went to the trash folder and permanently deleted it, all without opening it. You took a deep breath and went through the rest of the emails, deleting the obvious hate mail, opening some that seemed innocent but were hate in disguise, and answered the few inquiries about commissions. Out of all those, there were about three or four that were congratulating you on being in a relationship with Mettaton, they were so innocent.

   After spending over an hour at your computer, you got dressed to head to work a little early so you could grab a hot chocolate before. After getting fully dressed in warm clothing, you looked out the window, it had snowed last night, not much though, maybe an inch. You smiled, you loved snow. You hoped that within the next few weeks there would be a raging blizzard, just hopefully not before Thursday and Friday, because Friday was Christmas.

   Remembering Christmas, you started to think about what to get your friends, even Papyrus and Sans, the duo celebrates Hanukkah and it was long past, but you still wanted to get them something. You felt so guilty about not getting your Christmas shopping done before now, but you had been so busy. You planned tomorrow after work to be your shopping day, and this evening, you would do some research and figure out what to get everyone.

   You sighed as you tugged on your boots, what on earth were you going to get Mettaton? You pursed your lips in aggravation as you put your coat on and made your way to your door. Before stepping out, you looked at yourself in the mirror that hung on the wall by your door, seeing the deep purplish red bruise on your neck. It took you a moment to realize it was the hickey Mettaton had given you the night before last, and as the heat rose to your face, you grabbed a scarf and wrapped it around your neck as you left your apartment and dashed down the stairs of your building. Exiting the building, you made your way down the street, the snow on the sidewalk crunching beneath your boots. You fished for your cellphone in your pocket and pulled it out, seeing a text you missed from Mettaton. You opened it, he was asking you the very thing you were wondering about him, what kind of Christmas present you wanted. You smiled and decided to call him as you walked. Putting the phone to your ear, you heard it ring.

   “Good afternoon, my sweet.” You heard him chime.

   “H-Hey Mettaton.” You smiled.

   “Darling, did you get my text?”

   “I did, that’s what I’m calling about, what do you want for Christmas?” You asked.

   “To spend the holiday with you, my dear, what do _you_ want?” He asked, emphasis on you.

   You repeated what he said. “To spend the holiday with you.”

   “No no no, darling, you can just want to spend the day, sweetheart. There has to be something I can get you.”

   “Mettaton, you just said the same thing to me.”

   He paused. “Well … Darling, just tell me what you want.”

   “I dunno.”

   He sighed. “You and I will go out shopping tomorrow then.”

   “No.”

   “What? Why not?” He whined. “We need to go out in the world and act like a couple!”

   You blushed. “Mettaton, I’m already going shopping, I need to get everyone else's presents and figure out what you want.”

   “That’s why we’ll go together.”

   “But I want your gift to be a surprise.” You protested.

   He paused again. “Well, we’ll do shopping, and then split up when we go to get each other things.”

   You sighed. “Okay, fine.” You said, defeated.

   “It’s almost as if you don’t want to spend time with me, do you not like me anymore?”

   “No no, it’s not that!” You replied quickly. Then you heard snickering come from him.

   “Gotcha.” He said in a teasing tone.

   You growled and hung up on him. Not even two seconds later, he was calling you back. You put the phone to your ear, not saying a word.

   He was whining in a panicky tone. “Darling, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that, I was only teasing you.”

   “I know.”

   “Honey, you sure are something.” He said with a chuckle.

   “Okay, I have to go now, I’m almost at work.” You said, approaching the cafe.

   “Alright, goodbye, my love~” He cooed.

   “B-Bye.” You blushed, hanging up the phone. You took a deep breath and made your way into the cafe and stood in line.

   When you got to the front, it seemed as if the barista was sneering at you, but she put on a smile, it was very obvious that it was forced. “Welcome, can I help you?” The way she spoke was rigid and stiff.

   “Yeah, um, can I get a medium hot chocolate to go, please?” You asked in the nicest way possible.

   “Sure.” She snapped, going over to another fellow barista and whispering something to them.

   You stomach was in knots, it clicked that these people weren’t being rude because they felt like it, or had a bad day, but because they were probably Mettaton fans.

   The barista made her way back over and replied. “Sorry, we’re out of hot chocolate for the day.”

   She was lying through her teeth and you could tell as soon as the word ‘sorry’ came from her mouth. But, you didn’t let it get to you. “Alright, thanks anyway.” You waved. “Have a nice day.” You turned and made your way to the door, hearing her scoff as you left.

   As you made your way to the library, you felt your heart beating in your ears. Is this what it was going to be like from now on? People scoffing, getting denied service, all because some people were taken over by petty jealousy? Your blood was running cold as you made it to the library.

   Walking in, you saw your boss, sitting there at the desk, reading. You made your way over and tapped the surface with a finger.

   Looking up, she smiled brightly. “Good afternoon, dear.”

   You made your way around to the back of the desk. “Afternoon.”

   “I saw you on TV Saturday night.” She said, happily.

   “Oh, did you?” You asked, slightly nervous as you took your coat off, but making sure to leave your scarf on.

   “Yes, I’m so happy for you, Mettaton is such a charming monster.” She replied. “I kind of had a feeling the two of you were going to start going steady.”

   After setting your things down, you made your way over to her. “Really?” You were confused as to how she really knew anything, considering that you were pretty sure she had never seen you together with Mettaton.

   “Yes, often, on the shifts you weren’t here, he would show up, asking when you would be in next.” She chuckled.

   You felt your face heat up a bit. “W-What? really?”

   She nodded. “Yes, the days he came in, he had a big, bright smile on his face, but as soon as he saw this old bag of bones, he would look so defeated.”

   Your face went warmer. “Oh wow, that’s really … cute.” You buried the bottom half of your face into your scarf.

   Putting a hand to her mouth, she chuckled softly. “Oh, I shoveled this morning, do you think you could handle the returns?” She asked

   “Sure.” You said with a nod.

   “You better put your coat back on.”

   You nodded in agreement, grabbing your coat and put it on as Winnie handed you the keys to the box.

   Going outside and unlocking the return box, you crouched down and began to pile books into your arms, unable to stack them on the ground since the ground was wet. You went back and forth a few times when, and on your fourth trip, your arms full of books as you stood up, you saw a flash reflect off the door of the library. You turned, seeing a man, holding a camera.

   “Can I … help you?” You asked.

   “You’re” He said your name. “Right?”

   You nodded. “Yeah?”

   “Mind if I ask you a couple questions?” He asked, taking a step closer.

   “Um, actually, I kinda do, I’m at work right now.” You said, nodding down to the books you were holding.

   “It will only take a second, I swear.”

   “Okay … I guess so.”

   “How did you start dating Mettaton?”

   You paused and furrowed your brow. “How?”

   He nodded.

   “Well … We met here, at the library,” You nudged toward it with your head. “and then, we started hanging out, and it just kinda … happened.” You said with a shrug.

   He wrote down some notes on a small pad, glancing up to you as he asked, “You seem so casual about the whole thing, aren’t you starstruck?”

   “Not all the time. I mean, the days I see him, I just kinda see him as a normal, well not normal, eccentric guy. But, when I see him surrounded by fans, or at the party on Saturday, you know, like him actually being a star, those are the only times I really see him as one.” You said with a shrug. “The fact that he’s a celebrity had nothing to do with how I see him as an individual.”

   He nodded and wrote down some more. “Are you planning on being with him for a long time?”

   “Oh uh … I dunno.” You shrugged again. “I really like him, so … I hope so?”

   He nodded and looked back up to you. “Do you mind if I take another couple pictures of you? I’ll be out of your way after that, I promise.”

   “That’s fine, do I need to pose, or…?” You trailed off.

   “Nope, just act natural.” He replied, putting his pad away and grabbing his camera that was hanging from his neck. He then took a few more pictures of you and smiled. “Thanks a lot, I’d shake your hand if I could.”

   You nodded. “Have a nice day.”

   “You too.” He waved and walked off.

   You carried the books inside, exhaling as you did, happy that the whole thing didn’t turn into something weird, personal question, thing.

~~~

   The rest of the day passed and eventually it was closing time. You locked up the library and began to head home. You took a few deep breaths in through your nose and out your mouth, your nose stung from the cold. You were exhausted and stressed. There were a large handful of people that came into the library and asked you about Mettaton. Half were rude, while the other half, very happy for you. As you walked, you saw a flash go off to the side of you. Internally sighing, you glanced over, another paparazzo.

   The man made his way over to you, snapping another picture. “Hey, mind if I get a word?”

   “I … guess not.”

   “What’s a normal day like for you and Mettaton?”

   “Oh uh, well … We don’t see each other every day …” You replied.

   “Well give me an example of the days you do and don’t see each other.” He said, taking out a notepad.

   “Uh, the days that I don’t see him, we text each other really. Not much more than that. On the days we do spend together, we usually just sit around and talk, stuff like that.”

   “What other kinds of stuff?” He pushed.

   You shrugged. “Sometimes we paint our nails? Uh, we dance around, have a good time?” You weren’t sure if this was the kind of stuff he was looking for.

   “Have either of you spent the night at each others apartments?” He asked.

   “Only out of necessity.” You replied.

   “What does that mean?” He asked, looking up from his notepad.

   “Uh, well, there was a thunderstorm, and he couldn’t go home because of it, so I let him spend the night at my place.”

   “I see, I see ….” He wrote down more notes, and without looking up, he asked. “Have the two of you gotten intimate yet?”

   It took you a minute to understand what he had asked, you felt your cheeks flush and your face scrunched up in anger. “What makes you think it’s okay to ask someone something like that?”

   “Have you?” He asked, ignoring your question.

   But you obviously didn’t answer, turning away and starting to walk down the street toward your home again.

   “Hey! Where do you think you’re going??” He asked, as you heard his footsteps follow after you.

   Walking quicker and without looking back, you said. “Stop following me, I just want to go home.” You continued walking and eventually couldn’t hear the footsteps following you anymore. You sighed in relief as you made it to your building, quickly getting inside.

   Once making it up to your apartment, you decided that since you had such a stressful day, you would treat yourself to a nice, long, bath. You went to your bathroom and began to draw the water as you took off your clothes. Now only in your undergarments, you picked up your phone and called Mettaton.

   After the first ring. “Darling, did you stay late at work? You always call or text me on your way home.” He said quickly.

   “Hey, sorry … No, I didn’t stay late.” You replied hesitantly.

   “What’s wrong?” He asked, clearly worried.

   “Um … What am I supposed to do about paparazzi?”

   “Oh dear, are they already after you? Goodness, they don’t wait a second, now do they?” He asked, you assumed it was rhetorical since he continued talking. “What happened, tell me everything.”

   You took a deep breath and sat on your closed toilet seat, still in your underwear as you watched the water run into the tub. “Well, earlier this afternoon when I was at work, some guy came up to me while I was emptying the return bin, he was really nice. But then, when I was walking home just now, this other guy started asking all these really personal questions and I just walked away but then he followed me for about half a block.”

   There was a pause. “I’ll find the agency and have him fired for you.”

   “No, no, Mettaton, we don’t need that, I just need you to tell me how to deal with them if it happens again.” You replied.

   “Alright, fine. Darling, you don’t need to pay them any mind. If they try to stop you, keep walking, just, don’t engage negatively with them, because that’s how rumors and things like that start, understand?”

   “Yeah … I think so.” You replied.

   “Are you sure?” He asked.

   “Y-Yeah.” You replied with a nod, even though he couldn’t see.

   “Okay … How was your day, other than that?” He asked, changing the subject.

   “It was fine, boring mostly. I’m just tired and stressed, so I’m getting ready to take a bath, with a bath bomb.”

   “A bath bomb?” He asked in a puzzled tone.

   “Oh uh, they’re these things you put in the bathtub. They’re made with … Um … Bath salts, and citric acid, I think? And possibly food coloring? I dunno, all I know is that when you put them in the bathtub, they fizz and make pretty colors, and, and, they smell amazing and make your skin really soft, and some even have glitter in them. I can send you a video if you want.” You said, getting excited.

   “That would be lovely, darling.” He replied.

   “Okay.” You said sweetly.

   “I’ll leave you to that, I love you, my darling.”

   “L-Love you, too.” You blushed slightly. “B-Bye.”

   “Goodnight.” He said, and proceeded to hang up.

   You smiled and looked over to your bathtub, seeing that it was just about full. You took off the rest of your clothes and opened the mirror cabinet above your sink, taking out one of the 4 bombs you had left. Then you proceeded to climb into the tub and drop the orb in. Smiling as a rainbow of colors spread throughout the water and the aroma of orange and honey filled the air. Quickly reaching over the side of the tub and grabbing your phone, you began to take a quick snapchat. As you watched it play back, you made sure that the only visible part of you, was your legs, and you sighed in relief. You then sent it to him. You set your phone back outside the tub and leaned back, watching the rest of the bath bomb fizzle away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hahahaha At the time of upload, I'm almost done with finals! Just 2 more days!!!! I wanna die!!!! :D
> 
> Anyway, this chapter is kind of chill i guess? Despite it being so long? I don't really have much to say about it.... 
> 
> ~~~~  
> Look at this gouache painting I did of Mettaton.  
> http://demisexualmettaton.tumblr.com/post/134567730785/ok-so-i-spent-hours-on-this-and-i-adore-it
> 
> Go listen to the fic playlist on 8tracks, and please keep recommending songs, I would greatly appreciate it!!!  
> http://8tracks.com/koalolive/bookmarks
> 
> If you want talk about the fic or make any fanart or whatever, hmu! Ive changed my tumblr url to demisexualmettaton.tumblr.com, so, if you still end up going to koalolive, it should have a message to redirect you there!  
> But please, if you can, if you're going to tag or @ me, along with demisexualmettaton, please include koalolive with it, so that when I switch back, I'll still be able to find things with one tag! Also, tag it as 'undertale bookmarks' because thats helpful and what I tag all my stuff as.
> 
> Thanks for taking the time to read. If you have any general comments, critique, or suggestions, don't hesitate to leave a comment. I would really appreciate suggestions of any kind.


	22. Lushious

   The following day was good, up until your teenage co-worker showed up that is. They were pissed, pissed beyond belief that you, quote unquote, ‘stole Mettaton away from them’ and they were never going to forgive you. But, you were honestly so done with their teenage immaturity at this point.

   You sat at the desk, slowly tapping your fingers as you waited for the clock’s hands to reach 3:00. It was 2:52. You glanced over across the room to your co-worker, who was glaring at you as they put books away. You pursed your lips a bit, not sure what to say to them when they came over. You had already tried to explain to them that it was just completely out of their control, asking them if they really thought they would have been able to date Mettaton. And all they responded with was something along the lines of ‘well you’re dating him and you’re just plain old boring, I’m exciting, he would love me!’, but they weren’t taking into account that they were in high school and Mettaton is … Wait … How old _is_ Mettaton?

   You were pulled from your thoughts by someone coming up to check out some books. You scanned their things and soon, a small line began to form, so much for being able to leave promptly at two. You could have asked your co-worker to take your place, but had a feeling that she would decline your request, so, you spent the next 15 or so minutes scanning books and making small talk with each person. Once it reached 3:10, and there was still a few people needing to check their books out, you heard your favorite unmistakable voice.

   “Good afternoon, darlings~” Mettaton said charmingly as he entered the library, but for the first time ever, he was speaking at a reasonable volume.

   A few people quickly made their way over to him to get the chance to talk with him.

   You smiled a bit and went back to scanning the books for the student that stood in front of you. They leaned down, whispering to you. “Hey, you’re the person that’s dating Mettaton, right?”

   You glanced up and nodded. “Yeah.”

   “You’re really brave.”

   “Brave?” You furrowed your brow. “How so?”

   “Aren’t you worried about people talking behind your back, and spreading rumors, and stuff like that?” They asked.

   You shrugged and went back to scanning the rest of the books. “I used to deal with all that kinds of stuff when I was in high school, so, I should be able to handle it.”

   “I’d just be careful if I were you.” They said.

   “Thank you for the concern.” You smiled, handing them all of their books. “Have a good day.”

   They smiled and waved as they headed toward the door.

   You helped the next few people for a few more minutes until the last person made their way up. You were looking down at the computer keyboard as they walked up, and blindly welcomed them. “Good afternoon.”

   “Good afternoon, dollface.”

   You looked up, seeing Mettaton leaning on the desk, smirking down at you. You felt your cheeks warm slightly upon being called ‘dollface’ and proceeded to look over his outfit. He was in a black skirt, an adorable grey winter coat, and accessorized with a pink scarf and huge sunglasses that were rested on the top of his head.

   “H-Hey, Mettaton.”

   “I have something I’d like to check out.” He replied.

   “Oh, really?” You asked. “What?”

   He leaned down so he was no more than an inch from your face. “You.”

   You felt your whole face go hot. “M-Me?”

   He pecked your nose and quickly stood up straight. “Yes, my darling, you! Well, literally and figuratively. Firstly, that turtleneck you’re wearing is adorable. Secondly, you were supposed to leave at three today, were you not?”

   You stood up from the desk. “I was, but there was a huge line of customers, so I had to take care of them.” You replied as you made your way over to sign yourself out. You also thought to yourself, a reply to his turtleneck comment. The only reason you were wearing it, was to hide the huge mark he left upon your neck, because you knew if your co-worker had seen that hickey they would have gone absolutely ballistic.

   “You couldn’t have your co-worker handle it for you?” He asked.

   You glanced over to your co-worker who was still glaring at you from across the room. “No, they were busy organizing some shelves, It's fine.” You put your coat on and made your way back over to him. “I’m sorry I made you wait.”

   “It’s alright darling. Now, shall we head out?” He asked.

   You nodded and slung your bag over a shoulder.

   Mettaton took your hand and the two of you walked out of the library together. He then glanced down to you. “So, is there anywhere in particular you wanted to get your shopping done?”

   “Uh … I did want to go to the mall.”

   “The mall it is.” He smiled, walking in the direction of it.

   As you walked, you intertwined his fingers with his.

   He smiled down at you, then his expression changed suddenly to serious. He looked ahead of him and shifted his sunglasses from the top of his head, to wearing them normally, then, he softly said, “Darling, I hear the paparazzi up ahead, so just don’t say anything and follow my lead.”

   You looked ahead, he was right, there were a few people with cameras on the other side of the street, trying to cross as they took pictures of the two of you.

   Mattaton waved hello to them as he continued walking with you, gripping your hand a bit tighter as he did, and walking a bit quicker so the two of you would out-walk them. “It’s courteous to be polite and wave hello, but keep walking. If they start asking questions, continue to walk, and if you are comfortable, answer them. If not, stay silent.” Mettaton said softly.

   You nodded in agreement.

   One of the paparazzo catching up to you, asked a question. “Afternoon you two. Where are ya’ll headed?”

   “To get some holiday shopping done, dear. It’s a great day for it, is it not?” He replied charmingly as he continued walking with you.

   “Cutting it a little close though, considering Christmas Day is in three days, think you waited too long?”

   “The two of us have very busy lives, dear. Even illustrators hardly have a minuet to themselves, isn’t that right darling?” Mettaton replied, looking down to you.

   You nodded.

   “I thought you were mainly a librarian.” He replied as he quickly walked beside the two of you to keep up.

   “I’m an illustrator first, I work at the library so I don’t starve between my freelance work, not everyone can solely work on their art to pay the bills.” You reply, almost snapping at him. You felt Mettaton squeeze your hand, and you looked up at him with an almost apologetic expression. You didn’t mean to snap, just the feeling of the paparazzo considering you more a librarian than an artist felt like a punch to the face.

   “Right, sorry.” They responded. “Any plans for the holidays?”

   “Just a small get together with friends and family, dear. Now, if you would be so kind to let us go, we have an awful lot of errands to run.”

   “No problem, thanks for your cooperation.” They said with a wave, letting you two continue walking.

   You then felt Mettaton let go of your hand and wrap an arm around you. “You did good, darling.”

   “I-I didn’t mean to snap like that.” You replied.

   “It's fine, sweetheart.” He gripped you a bit tighter.

   The two of you soon made it to the mall and entered. You looked around, it had been a really long time since you had been. Seeing one of the maps, you made you way over to it to see where you should start first. Looking back to talk to Mettaton, he wasn’t directly behind you, but several feet away, surrounded by a group of teenagers.

   You sighed and looked back to the map, trying to figure out where to shop for everyone. So, Undyne and Alphys were easy, just grab them something anime related at the comics store, you could probably get Sans some weird joke shirt, and maybe a cookbook for Papyrus, unless that was too simple.

   Suddenly you were pulled from your thoughts by a hand on your shoulder. You looked up seeing Mettaton smiling sheepishly as he took off his sunglasses. “Sorry about that, dear.”

   You weren’t sure how to respond. In all honesty, you just wanted to be in and out of the mall, get everything you needed, and go home, but you knew that Mettaton being here with you, would just slow you down. You weren’t one for crowded places and the mall was packed to the brim with people, doing last minute Christmas shopping. “Mettaton, is it going to be like that for the rest of the day?”

   “Hm? What do you mean, darling?” He asked.

   “You getting stopped every five seconds to talk to people.”

   “Well of course it is, honey. I’m a star, and it’s not often that I’m out on the town like this, everyone wants a chance to speak with me.” He replied.

   He was obviously excited, but more about the idea of just being in a crowded, public place, rather than being here with you specifically. You didn’t want to comment on it, but realizing this, put a damper on your mood. “Okay.” You simply replied with a nod, looking back at the map.

   “Why, does that bother you?” He asked.

   “No.” You answered, lying, and continued talking. “Okay, so, the comic store is this way, and I’m pretty sure I’m going to be getting a lot of presents there, so I say we start that way.” You said as you turned to walk, but Mettaton gently grasped your shoulder, stopping you from moving.

   “Darling, don’t lie to me.”

   Responding, not turning back. “I’m not lying, the comic store _is_ this way.”

   Mettaton said your name in a stern tone.

   “What?” You asked, still not turning back.

   “Does it bother you that I keep getting stopped?”

   You finally turned to him. “No … Okay, maybe a _little_ , but just right now, because I just want to get in and out of here but that can’t really happen if you keep getting stopped every three seconds.” You admitted.

   “In and out? You don’t want to enjoy the afternoon here?” He asked.

   “No.”

   “Why not?” He cocked his head in confusion.

   “It’s really crowded, it makes me kinda … anxious.”

   “Oh darling, there’s nothing to be worried about, come on.” He said, putting an arm around you as he began to walk in the direction you were initially headed. “Let’s enjoy ourselves.”

   “Okay …” You replied, hesitantly.

   The two of you made your way to the comic store in about 20 minutes, when it should have taken five. Humans and monsters alike continued to stop Mettaton, asking him for autographs and pictures, and while Mettaton was preoccupied, there were a couple instances when you overheard people saying mean, even horrible things about you. You tried your best not to let it get to you, and as long as Mettaton thought you were fine, everything was okay.

   You walked around the store, surprisingly picking out things for everyone except Mettaton, you were actually surprised how easy it was, being able to get the shopping done in less than an hour. Once you were all checked out, you looked around to find Mettaton, who up until now was behind you, was talking to a few girls, all adorning MTT brand everything. You swallowed hard, not wanting to make your way over, fearing the confrontation, but it was too late, one of the girls saw you out the corner of her eye and proceeded to subtly glare at you. But finally, after a few more minutes, they left and you were able to walk over to Mettaton.

   “Hello dear, all set?”

   You nodded.

   “It seems like you got a lot.” He said, gesturing to the couple of bags you were holding.

   You nodded and began to walk. “Yep, I got everyone’s gifts, well, everyone but you.”

   “Why not me?” He asked with a pout.

   “Nothing in there was good enough for you, dummy.” You said, nudging him with an elbow.

   He chuckled. “Alright, where to next?”

   You smiled wide, and if possible, your eyes were probably filled with sparkles. “Lush.”

   He laughed a bit, but seemed a bit confused.

   “The place that sells those bath bombs I was telling you about last night.” You smiled happily.

   “Oh, who are you buying for there?” He asked.

   “I’m buying myself stuff.” You replied. “I had a tough year, so I’m treating myself.”

   “I see, I see.” He nodded. “Do you want me to carry your bags for you?” He asked, holding out a hand.

   You shook your head. “No, I’m fine.”

   The two of you continued to walk toward Lush, only being stopped a couple of times. When you got there, you entered and quickly made your way to the display of bath bombs.

   “Everything in this store looks like candy.” Mettaton said from beside you.

   You giggled. “When I was a kid, the first time I ever saw Lush, I thought it was a candy store too.”

   “Oh, my gosh, it’s Mettaton and” You heard your name called, looking over, was a pair of Lush employees, one a human, and the other appeared to be a tree or wood-like monster.

   The pair quickly made their way over. “Holy cow, you two are like, the cutest couple of the year.” One smiled.

   “Yeah, honestly, the cutest.” The other agreed.

   You felt a bit of heat rise to your cheeks, glancing up at Mettaton who was glancing down at you, he seemed equally surprised.

   “Well, my dears, I’m so glad you agree.” Mettaton smiled.

   “What can we do for you guys today?” The monster asked happily.

   “I um, was looking to buy some bath bombs.” You said, pointing to them.

   “Oh my gosh, I can totally help you out with that.” They smiled.

   You then proceeded to get into a long conversation with the monster about bath bombs, then the conversation stemming into how Lush has changed a lot in the ways they make some of their products both human and monster accessible. The two of you talked for over 20 minutes until they brought up the topic of Mettaton.

   “So, Mettaton, what’s it like dating him?”

   “Oh, um, well, it’s pretty interesting I guess, I’m not sure how to describe it honestly.” You shrugged, glancing over to him. He was talking with the human employee, and smelling some of the products.

   “You seem like you really love him.” The monster said, snapping you back to the conversation,

   You tuned back to them, your face heating up. “I-I guess so. I-I don’t really know.”

   “How can you not know?” They asked, confused.

   You shrugged.

   “Well, take it from me, a complete stranger, you seem like you genuinely love him, and he seems over the moon about you, so, don’t let him go, okay?”

   You nodded, oddly touched by the monster’s words.

   They then proceeded to check out your items, you bought six bath bombs, two bubble bars, and a bottle of dusting powder. The powder was for Mettaton, upon seeing the glittery substance, you absolutely had to get it for him, and even if he couldn’t get it to stay on his body, you were almost positive he could put it in his hair.

   You thanked the monster for their time and advice, then made your way over to Mettaton, who was finishing up his conversation with the human employee.

   He looked over to you as you walked up to him. “All set?” He asked.

   You nodded.

   “So, dear, do you mind if we split up, just for a little bit? I want to do some shopping for you.” He smiled.

   You nodded. “I have to go shop for you too.”

   “Alright, then, text me when you’re done, okay?”

   You nodded again.

   Suddenly, he leaned down, placing a soft kiss on your lips, and you heard the pair of Lush employees squealing. He pulled away, smiling. “See you soon.”

   You nodded, cheeks flushed, and made your way out of the store, waving goodbye. Making your way around the mall, searching practically every single store for something Mettaton would like, you came up with absolutely nothing. You didn’t feel like there was anything here that he would really like, well there was one thing, but it was completely out of your price range. So, sitting on a bench, you opened your phone to get ready to text Mettaton, when you saw that you had a lot of emails sitting in your inbox, over 400 of them. Opening your email, as soon as it loaded, you felt your mouth go dry and your stomach tighten. You didn’t want to take it personally, you tried so hard not to take it personally, but you couldn’t help it, the bolded, unread email at the top of the list, stared back at you.

**Just Die Already**

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO. I'm finished with finals, so this is my gift to you. 
> 
> Now you know why the title is spelled incorrectly 
> 
> Also, this is what reader wanted to get for Mettaton, DON'T try and tell me he wouldn't LOVE this   
> http://boudoirbydlish.bigcartel.com/product/cassandra-extravagant-marabou-dressing-gown-deluxe-edition
> 
> If y'all wanna gimme shit for christmas, I'd love fanart *wink*
> 
> Also, one of you is writing a fanfic FOR me, so like, I am so honored that my fic has this type of presence and is becoming greatly revered by the ace community. So like, THNAK YOU! <3
> 
> Also, since I'm done with finals, I'm probably going to be opening my art (and possibly literature) commissions! 
> 
> There was something else I REALLY needed to tell you guys, but I just can't remember... 
> 
> ~~~~  
> Look at this gouache painting I did of Mettaton.  
> http://demisexualmettaton.tumblr.com/post/134567730785/ok-so-i-spent-hours-on-this-and-i-adore-it
> 
> Go listen to the fic playlist on 8tracks, and please keep recommending songs, I would greatly appreciate it!!!  
> http://8tracks.com/koalolive/bookmarks
> 
> If you want talk about the fic or make any fanart or whatever, hmu! Ive changed my tumblr url to demisexualmettaton.tumblr.com, so, if you still end up going to koalolive, it should have a message to redirect you there!  
> But please, if you can, if you're going to tag or @ me, along with demisexualmettaton, please include koalolive with it, so that when I switch back, I'll still be able to find things with one tag! Also, tag it as 'undertale bookmarks' because thats helpful and what I tag all my stuff as.
> 
> Thanks for taking the time to read. If you have any general comments, critique, or suggestions, don't hesitate to leave a comment. I would really appreciate suggestions of any kind.


	23. Truth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw: Self hate, mild suicidal thoughts

   As soon as you looked at the title of the email, you shoved your phone in your pocket and tried not to think about it, but you still needed to text Mettaton. But that meant he would see you, and walk you home. He would talk to you, and know something was wrong. He’d have to get to the bottom of it, and you were too scared. You didn’t want Mettaton to know what you were dealing with, you didn’t want to be a burden. So, you proceeded to stand up from the bench you were sitting at, and head home, without him.

   As you were halfway home, you took out your cellphone and texted him, telling him that you were sorry, but you had to leave, that there was something you needed to take care of. A moment later, he started to call you, but you didn’t answer. He continued to try and call you another 3 times, but that’s when you turned your phone off. You were scared and nervous, and wanted to cry, all because of something stupid.

   Once you got to your building, you quickly made your way up to your apartment and locked yourself inside. You didn’t know what else to do, so you just climbed into bed, still fully clothed, and tried to sleep.

 

         You laid in bed for the next two days

 

   It was now Christmas Eve morning, Mettaton had been trying everything in his power to try and contact you, calling, texting, he probably even sent you emails. Still in the clothes from two days ago, you climbed out of bed, looking at the clock on your bedside table, it read 11:48.

   You hesitantly made your way over to your laptop sitting at your desk. Maybe two days ago, you read the email title wrong, maybe it was all one, big understanding. You opened your email and felt a shock of panic shoot through you.

   There they were.

   You continued to scroll down the unread emails, a bunch of Mettaton’s were scattered about, everywhere. There was a lot more hate mail than before. There were more than the first one you saw, telling you to end your life, there were some calling you straight up profanities, and others calling you a ‘man stealer’ and ‘a pathetic piece of selfish shit’. You took a deep breath, trying to figure out what to do. Is this what it was going to be like for the rest of your relationship with Mettaton? Were you going to have to deal with this kind of thing, every single day?

   You took a deep breath, trying to calm down, but breathing wasn’t helping, you began to cry. You began to tremble. You hugged yourself, curling yourself into a ball on your desk chair as you cried. You began to feel dizzy, and like you couldn’t breathe. What if all these people were right? What if you _were_ worthless, pathetic, looking for attention? What if you _should_ die? Wouldn’t everyone’s lives be so much better if you were gone? Then everything would go back to normal, everyone would go on with their lives happily, it would be perfect if you just stopped existing. You _are_ worthless, you _are_ pathetic.

   Suddenly, the buzzer for your apartment went off, you knew it was Mettaton, you just knew it. But, there was no way you were going to let him up to your apartment, let alone have him see you like this. The buzzer went off a few more times and you just continued to sob and try to find the air to breathe.

   Then, within what felt like a split second, you heard knocking at your door, someone from another apartment must have buzzed him in. You held your breath, putting a hand to your mouth as the knocking on the door continued.

   From the other side you heard Mettaton’s voice, riddled with worry. “Sweetheart, open the door, let me talk to you.”

   “P-Please leave.” You replied, still trying to hold in your wails, but it was obvious that you were crying.

   “No, darling, let me in, right now.” He demanded, but still overwhelmingly worried.

   You knew you had no choice but to open it, you knew he wouldn’t stop until you opened the door, so, you climbed off your chair and wiped your face with your sleeves as you made your way to it. Unlocking and opening it, Mettaton rushed in, he looked petrified upon seeing your tear filled eyes, flushed, puffy, face, and trembling body.

   Mettaton said your name as quickly stepped over to you. “what’s wrong? What happened? What’s going on?”

   “N-Nothing’s wrong, n-not at all.” You attempted to lie in a hoarse whisper, but tears rolled down your cheeks.

   “Sweetheart.” He held your face in his hands. “Darling, what’s going on, this isn’t like you. Why are you pushing me away?”

   “P-Please leave,” You said, as you started to cry more. You pulled your head away from his gentle grasp and began crying harder into your own hands as you tried to say ‘i’m fine’ but it just sounded like wails.

   You vaguely heard Mettaton say something to you, but you couldn’t make it out, all you knew was that he was gently leading you toward the couch, and sitting you down with him. He rubbed your back comfortingly for the next 10 or so minutes as you cried.

   Once settled down, you took a few staggering breaths and tried to regain your composure.

   Mettaton said your name softly.

   You looked up to him, and you could tell he was trying to find the words to say, but he was having a lot of trouble.

   He simply asked as he gently held your hands in his. “What can I do to help you?”

   You looked back down, eyes fixated on your hands that rested in his. “Tell me … Tell me I’m not worthless, t-tell me I-I’m not pathetic.” You stammered.

   He gripped your hands softly. “Sweetheart, of course you aren’t worthless or pathetic, how did those thoughts get into your head?” He asked.

   Not looking up to him, you shrugged.

   He said your name in a slightly stern tone.

   “They’re just kind of … always there.”

   There was a long pause before you continued.

   “I have … um, anxiety … and depression.” You said hesitantly.

   The room filled with silence, and your mind raced. This was it, Mettaton was going to get up and leave. He was going to stand up and go right out that door, and never want to ever see you again. Squeezing your eyes shut, you were about to pull your hands away from his, but then he spoke up.

   “You’re not alone, sweetheart.” He said softly, gently pulling one hand from yours and putting it to your cheek. “I love you, and I’m not going anywhere.”

   Finally looking up to him, you met his gentle gaze as tears rolled down your cheeks. “D-Do you really mean that?”

   He nodded, smiling. “I do. You mean the world to me.” He wiped your tears away gently. “I … I’m not sure if I can completely understand what your feeling,” He paused. “but I want to know, I want to be able to help you in any way I possibly can.”

   More tears flowed from your eyes, but they had shifted from tears of misery, to joy. You pulled your hands away from the one he was gripping them with, and pulled your head from his hand as you cried into your hands.

   You heard him ask to himself, aloud. “Oh no, I said something wrong, didn’t I?”

   Looking back up to him, you shook your head as you wiped your eyes with your sleeves more. “N-No, you didn’t.”

   “But, why are you still crying?”

   You took a breath and wiped away more as you spoke. “I-I was really worried, that … that when I told you … that you were going to leave, but you didn’t.”

   “Oh sweetheart, I would never leave you over something like this.” He replied.

   “W-Well I wasn’t sure. We’ve only been dating for a little while.” You said with a shrug.

   “That may be true,” He said, reaching a hand up and moving a moving a strand of your hair out of the way. “but I still care deeply for you.”

   Your cheeks grew a bit warm but your blushing went unnoticed due to already being so red from crying.

   “Do you need me to do anything for you?” He asked.

   You wiped your face of excess moisture, since you had stopped crying. “Can … You hug me?” You asked.

   He smiled and shifted on the couch, opening his arms to you. “Of course.”

   You scooted closer as he wrapped his arms around you.

   “Do you need anything else? Do you want to talk about anything?” He asked genuinely.

   You paused, maybe it would be a good idea to finally tell him what had been happening. “Yeah …” You started, looking up to him. “About how … this kind of happened.”

   Mettaton nodded, his gaze was comforting, but you also felt like he was desperate to know what was going on.

   You looked down, stammering. “I’ve been getting … Hate mail, a-and death threats, and-”

   He cut you off. “What?” He sounded angry.

   You flinched out of reflex.

   “I’m sorry darling.” he quickly said, gently, but his tone shifted to harsh once more. “When did this start happening?”

   “... Sunday.”

   “S-Sunday?!”

   You looked up to him, hearing his voice shift from bewilderment, to pure rage as you watched the hue of his eye shift from hot pink, to blood red. You glanced down upon hearing static pops coming from his chest.

   He released you from his grip and quickly stood up, then began to pace back and forth. “This is an _**outrage**_ , how dare this happen.”

   “Mett-” You tried to get a word in but he just kept pacing, and you were also pretty sure you could see steam emitting from him.

   “How could I let something like this slip right underneath my nose?! How could I have been so blind, and here I thought everything was going perfectly, when in this horrible reality it's you who has to be the one to suffer.” He looked over to you quickly, his face morphing from fury, to absolute distress. Rushing over, he kneeled before you and took your face into his hands. “I am _**so**_ sorry.”

   “Please calm down.” You said gently, you went to reach out, to place a hand on his face, but withdrew it, knowing that you would probably burn yourself if you attempted to touch him.

   He gently chuckled as he exhaled. “It would be best if you didn’t touch me right now.” He said, letting go of your face and placing your hands on your lap before him, then looking down to them. “I am so, so sorry.” He apologised again.

   “Mettaton, you couldn’t have known this was happening.” You replied.

   His head shot up. “Darling, yes I could have. I was so blind. Of course something like this would happen, I’m a celebrity, and dedicated fans outlash in horrible ways when they don’t get what they want. I’m so sorry.”

   “I forgive you.” You replied, placing your hands onto his that rested on your lap. “But … What are we supposed to do about it? Do I get another email?”

   “To be honest, I’m not really sure, but that might be our best bet right now.”

   You frowned. “What about all my business cards?”

   He softly chuckled. “Oh darling, don’t worry about that right now, your mental health is more important.”

   “But I need to work.” You crossed your arms.

   “Health.” He replied, standing up and scooting you over so he could take his previous position back onto the couch.

   You snuggled up to him, he was still pretty warm and you could hear his internal fans whirring, but not for the reason that you were used to. After a moment, you spoke up. “Some Christmas Eve this turned out to be.”

   “The day is still young, sweetie, it’s only 12:30 in the afternoon.” He said softly.

   “But, doesn’t your Christmas party start at 1?” You asked.

   “It does, but Blooky is there, so they can handle everything until we get show up, that is, if you’re feeling okay to go.” He said.

   “I think it’ll do me good to be around friends, but ... I never wrapped all my gifts.”

   “Don’t worry, I have a bunch of gift bags at home you can use.”

   You looked up to him, suddenly filled with worry.

   “What’s wrong?” He asked, frowning.

   Since you had spent the last two days in bed, you never spent any more time thinking of a present for Mettaton. “I-I didn’t finish getting presents for you.”

   “Honey, don’t worry about, it’s fine.” He reassured you.

   “C-Can I get them to you a bit late?” You asked.

   “Of course, my dear.” He said, gently placing a warm kiss on your forehead. “Take all the time you need.”

   “Okay … I just feel really bad.”

   “It’s fine, my dear.” He said, kissing your forehead again.

   “Fine … Will you help me with my outfit?” You asked, looking up to him.

   “Oh sweetie, of course I will.” He smiled, releasing his grip.

   You climbed off of the couch and made your way over to your closet, opening it and looking through your clothing. The two of you spent the next half hour or so going back and forth about what you should and shouldn’t wear. And, once you finally agreed on an outfit, you went into your bathroom, putting it on, but quickly exiting. “I can’t wear this.”

   “What? Why not? You were just so excited to wear it.” Mettaton frowned from where he sat on the couch.

   “Because this is on display for everyone to see!” You said, pointing to the hickey that was still on your neck.

   He put a hand to his mouth to stifle his laughter, but to no avail. “Just leave it.”

   “No!” You protested, feeling your face grow red.

   Mettaton stood up as his laughter died, taking his scarf off and putting it on you.

   “This works too.” You glanced away, blushing more. But, glancing back up to him, smiling gently. You were glad that someone ended up buzzing him into the building.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that happened, huh? Yeahhhhh.
> 
> So, now that I'm on winter break, I've decided to open my commissions, I'm saving up money to go abroad, so, I would really appreciate if you would consider buying a commission. Thank you so much!  
> http://demisexualmettaton.tumblr.com/post/134990305170/demisexualmettaton-hey-guys-so-im-opening-up  
> I know it says to message me on tumblr, but for those of you without one, you can email me at amy.andrews@montserrat.edu
> 
> ~~~~  
> Go listen to the fic playlist on 8tracks, and please keep recommending songs, I would greatly appreciate it!!!  
> http://8tracks.com/koalolive/bookmarks
> 
> If you want talk about the fic or make any fanart or whatever, hmu! Ive changed my tumblr url to demisexualmettaton.tumblr.com, so, if you still end up going to koalolive, it should have a message to redirect you there!  
> But please, if you can, if you're going to tag or @ me, along with demisexualmettaton, please include koalolive with it, so that when I switch back, I'll still be able to find things with one tag! Also, tag it as 'undertale bookmarks' because thats helpful and what I tag all my stuff as.
> 
> Thanks for taking the time to read. If you have any general comments, critique, or suggestions, don't hesitate to leave a comment. I would really appreciate suggestions of any kind.


	24. War

   The both of you ended up arriving at Mettaton’s apartment by 1:30, and the party had already begun. Well, it wasn’t exactly a party-- just a really nice get together with the monsters and Frisk, whom you’ve come to know as your friends. Mettaton had you go in before him so you could ‘distract’ everyone, while he snuck in behind you to his room. Since he had gone to your apartment, he hadn’t gotten ready for the party beforehand, and therefore wasn’t dressed up.

   “It’s good to finally see you, my child.” Toriel smiled warmly, wrapping you in a big hug.

   You set down the bag you were carrying and  hugged her back. “Hi, Toriel.”

   “Hey runt, where you been?” You heard Undyne call.

   When Toriel let go of you, you turned to see Undyne sitting with Alphys on one of Mettaton’s fancy couches. “Running a little late, I lost track of time.” You replied, picking the bag back up again.

   “W-What’s in the bag?” Alphys asked, curiously.

   “Just presents.” You stated.

   Frisk suddenly burst out of nowhere and went to grab the bag.

   You quickly turned, pulling the bag from their reach.

   “Frisk, behave.” Toriel scolded.

   You waved her off. “Don’t worry about it, Toriel, they’re just excited is all.”

   “Oh! Put them under the tree!” Papyrus called from across the room.

   You glanced over to the tree in the middle of the room, that was so tall that the tip was hitting the ceiling and even curving a bit, resulting in no room for a star. Your eyes skimmed down the tree; it was covered in shiny silver and pink tinsel, and many of the ornaments were embellished with Mettaton’s face. You chuckled to yourself as you made your way to the door of Mettaton’s room. “I’ll put them there in a second.” You called back, as you gently knocked on his door.

   You heard his muffled, robotic voice reply. “Come in~”

   As you pushed the door open, you saw Mettaton posing in front of a mirror, adorning a red and white Santa dress.

   “What do you think of this one, darling?” He asked, shifting his pose and admiring himself.

   You closed the door behind you. “It's very you.”

   He chuckled and turned to you. “Do you like it?”

   You nodded, then held up the big bag filled with your presents. “You said you had some bags for me?” You asked.

   He pointed an ungloved finger toward a door as he sat down at his vanity. “In that closet, dear, there should be a trunk filled with things.”

   You nodded and made your way to the closet. You opened it, but it was more of a room than a closet. Walking in, you looked around for a moment and saw the trunk to which he was referring, and went to kneel in front of it. You set the bag of gifts on the floor and opened the trunk, seeing that it was filled with miscellaneous folded up gift bags of many different sizes, as well as tissue paper. You began to take out some of the bags and match each with presents of a similar size.

   For Frisk, you had gotten them a couple comic books along with a stuffed alpaca toy;  Toriel, a necklace with a pie pendant on it; for Sans, a hilarious red sweatshirt that read ‘Merry Shitscram’ instead of ‘Christmas’; Papyrus, a cookbook and a pair of shutter shades-- you got them ironically, but knew he would genuinely love them. For Undyne and Alphys, you got them season 1 and 2 of some anime and bagged each one individually. For Napstablook, you had come upon some stunning galaxy headphones. You knew they already had some fancy high-tech ones, but there was no way you couldn't have gotten these for them.

   You reached into the big bag and took out the small bottle of glittery powder you had purchased for your boyfriend, sighing quietly. All you had to give him was this small bottle, yet there was so much more you wished you could do for him; you felt like didn’t deserve all this love he was giving you.

   You suddenly heard someone’s throat being cleared, you looked up quickly as you shoved the bottle into a bag, hoping that he, Mettaton, who was leaning against the doorframe, hadn’t seen it.

   “How’s it going sweetheart?” He asked with a playful smile.

   “F-Fine, you didn’t see anything, did you?” You asked nervously.

   “Maybe I did.” He quipped.

   “Mettaton!” You frowned.

   He chuckled and made his way over, sitting down on the ground with you.

   You glanced over his makeup, his lips full, matte, and red, and his eyeshadow was dark green and matched his nails.

   “What did you get me?” He asked, trying to look in the bag.

   “Go away.” You pulled the bag away. “Just because you’re pretty doesn’t mean you get to see your gift early.”

   Mettaton paused, placing a delicate hand to his chest. “You think I’m pretty?” He asked, fluttering his eyelashes.

   Playfully, you pushed him away. “Maybe.”

   You heard him laugh as he wrapped his arms around you.

   “Mettaton, c’mon, I need to finish bagging these gifts so we can get to the party.” You said, looking up to him.

   He hugged you a little tighter, whispering softly. “How are you feeling?” He asked, looking into your eyes.

   “I-I’m feeling better.” You replied. “Being around people was a good idea.”

   “Good.” he said, kissing your forehead and letting you go. “I’m going to head out there, darling. Finish up soon, okay?” He said as he stood up.

   You nodded. “Alright.”

   He left the room and you quickly finished stuffing everyone’s presents into bags, signing them. You stood up and made your way out of the closet and opened the door of the bedroom, seeing everyone talking and laughing and just having a great time. You walked over to the crammed-in tree, and set all of your bags down with the rest of the presents. You smiled upon seeing a small pile of horribly wrapped gifts, each individually addressed from Frisk. They’re so precious, you thought.

   You stood up straight and saw Napstablook over by some speakers and their laptop. You made your way over and smiled. “Hey Napstablook, what’s up?”

   They looked up to you with a smile. “Oh, hello ... I’m getting a playlist together. Would you … You like to look at it? Give me an opinion?” They asked.

   You nodded with a smile. “I’d love to.”

   They moved out of the way and gestured to the laptop.

   Leaning down, you looked over the playlist. “Wow, there’s a good variety, I say it's perfect the way it is.” You replied, looking over to them with a smile.

   “Oh … Really?”

   You nodded.

   They smiled a bit more and made sure the volume was at an appropriate level for ambiance, and music filled the room. “All set … I’m gonna go get a ghost sandwich.”

   You watched them float off as Sans and Papyrus paraded towards you. You waved. “Hey guys.” You were going to say ‘Merry Christmas’ but still weren’t sure if it was cool for you to say to them, considering the duo celebrates Hanukkah.

   “Aw, not gonna wish us a Merry Christmas? That’s pretty **rude** -olph of you.”

   You glared down at Sans. “Why do you have to do this every time?”

   “Sans! How dare you make our friend suffer with your horrid puns! You have such a problem!” Papyrus exclaimed, folding his arms in a huff.

   “C’mon, lighten up, bro.” He said, nudging his bother with an elbow.

   You chuckled and covered your mouth, finally deciding to give in to Sans’ puns for once. “Papyrus, really, it's **snow** problem at all.”

   A few feet away, you heard Toriel howl with laughter.

   As she did, Papyrus groaned, throwing his arms back in irritation. “No! Not you too!”

   You laughed, making your way over to the table covered in food and drinks, picking up a water bottle.

   “Hey squirt!” Upon taking the first sip, an arm was quickly wrapped around your neck, and from the sudden surprise, you choked a bit on your water, hacking into your fist in a fit of coughs.

   “O-Oh jeez, are you okay??’ Alphys asked, worried.

   Undyne released you and patted you on the back as you braced your hands on your knees.

   You waved them off as your coughing lightened up. “I-I’m okay.”

   “Good, I didn’t wanna accidentally kill you on Christmas.”

   You laughed a bit. “Haha, yeah.”

   “S-So, how are you and Mettaton doing?” Alphys asked, beaming up at you.

   You glanced over to Mettaton who was sitting on a couch, weaving small braids into Frisk’s hair as they giggled. You smiled gently as you replied. “We’re doing the best we can.”

~~~

   The afternoon passed and eventually the sun set, revealing early evening. You were seated on one of the couches by yourself with your sketchbook, doing some sketching of the ongoing party.

   Between the short moment when you were examining the room, to sketching, and looking back up again, Frisk was standing before you. You raised your eyebrows and smiled. “Hello, Frisk.”

   They waved and sat on the couch beside you, peering over at what you were drawing. They then pointed to the sketch of themself.

   “Yep, that’s you.”

   They smiled and clapped, then proceeded to get up and stand in front of you posing dramatically-- reminiscent of someone you knew.

   “Want me to draw you?” You asked.

   The nodded as they stayed in the pose.

   You smiled and turned to a new page, beginning to draw a fun, stylized illustration of them, but did it a bit quicker rather than taking your time. You knew children to be incredibly impatient and Frisk wasn’t any exception. But, having only drawn their head and torso, Mettaton’s voice interrupted your sketching.

   “It’s time to open presents everyone!”

   You sighed. “Sorry, Frisk. I guess we’ll just have to finish this up later, okay?”

   They nodded with a smile, then quickly rushed over to the tree where everyone was picking up their presents and carrying them over to the couches.

   “Alright, so how is this going down? We all opening everything at once?” Undyne asked, ready to shred one of the presents open … with her teeth.

   “Hmmm.” Mettaton pondered, sitting beside you.

   “W-Won’t we be here forever, o-otherwise?” Alphys asked.

   “She has a point.” You chimed in, looking up to Mettaton.

   “Alright, fine.” Mettaton pouted, raising his hands in defeat. “Go at it, then.”

   Soon, the sounds of shredding paper filled the air and you started at your own presents. Picking up the one from Frisk, you opened it, seeing a handmade macaroni ornament, smiling at how intricately designed it was, since, of course, they were 10. Looking over to Frisk, they had the alpaca under their arm as they were opening their other presents. You set the ornament aside and picked up the gift you received from Toriel, and unwrapping it, it was a tin box. Sliding the cover off, there was a note sitting atop a bunch of homemade cookies. The note read ‘My child, I hope your year was not too _crumby_.’ You giggled, forgetting for a brief moment that Toriel also enjoyed puns as much as Sans. Looking up, Toriel was already wearing your necklace and having a laugh with Sans. You closed and set the tin aside, picking up a small box from Papyrus. Opening it, you saw a bow that doubled as a clip on bow tie or a hair bow, that looked like a farfalle pasta. You had no idea where he could have gotten it, but you loved it. Glancing over to him, he was excitedly flipping through the cookbook you had gifted him. You then continued to pick up a bag from Sans and reach inside, pulling out a pack of brush pens you had been eyeing for a long time, along with a note that read ‘Hey, don’t die over this amazing gift, I wouldn’t want you to have a _brush_ with death.’

   You immediately shot your head up, scowling at him with an expression that somehow mixed bewilderment with aggravation.

   He only replied with a smirk and a shrug, then pointed to the sweatshirt he was now wearing and gave you the thumbs up.

   Giving in, you rolled your eyes and eyed the brush markers one more time with a gentle smile. You then picked up a rectangular gift addressed from Alphys, already knowing it was a volume of some type of manga. Unwrapping it, you saw that it was actually one you had read before, but she couldn’t have known, considering you don’t talk about manga or anime with her much. Nonetheless, you appreciated the thought. You set the book aside with everything  else you had gotten already, and picked up a long, wrapped box from Undyne, and unwrapped it to find a toy gun that shoots mini-marshmallows. You looked up seeing Undyne excitedly talking with Alphys about the marathon the two of them are gonna have tomorrow with the DVDs you gave her and her lizard girlfriend. You covered your mouth and suppressed a giggle as you picked up a bag from Napstablook. Reaching in, you pulled out a sweater that had a snail on it, you smiled and glanced over to where they were on the other side of Mettaton, they were already wearing the headphones, and crying happily.

   You softly laughed and leaned down, picking up the last present, a big bag from Mettaton. Removing the tissue paper, there was a card sitting on the top of whatever soft thing was inside. You picked up the red envelope and carefully opened it, taking out the card.

________

My darling,

   I know the time we have spent together has been short, but I’ve enjoyed every minute of it, and each day I spend with you is better than the last. Having you around makes the sun shine brighter, the sky seem bluer, the air, clearer. You make me so happy that I’m not even sure how to put it into words. That day I walked into the library and rung that bell 13 times, it turned out to be one of the best days of my life. I had no idea I was to become so captivated by you, I love everything about you, my dear. The way you walk, the way you talk, the way your nose crinkles up when you laugh, the way the room lights up when you smile, your cheeks, your eyes, your mouth, your lips, your body, your life, your soul. Darling, you’re perfect in every way. It pained me to have to shorten the list of your perfections, but alas, I just had to, I would have ended up taking up the entire card, writing about every little thing I love about you. But, I can’t just not write about my feelings for you, I need you to know that I care so much about you, and I hope that the two of us stay together for a long time, because I care so much about you, but now I’m running out of room and can’t fit everything else I need to say, but I love you so much.

      Love,

            Mettaton

P.s. I have more presents later

________

   You giggled, feeling tears prick the corners of your eyes as you finished reading the handwritten text that had gotten smaller and smaller as it reached the bottom of the card. You sniffled as tears rolled down your cheeks and you rose a hand  to your face, but felt a cold finger reach it first. Looking up, you saw Mettaton smiling down at you.

   “T-This was really nice.” You replied.

   He leaned down and kissed your forehead gently.

   “Awww.”

   You looked over to Alphys whose voice you had heard, and then realized everyone was watching the two of you. You felt your face grow hot and buried it into the scarf you had been wearing the entire day.

   “Come on darling, open your last gift, we’re all waiting on you.” Mettaton said softly.

   Still blushing, you lifted your face from the scarf and glanced back down at the bag in your lap. You reached in, pulling out whatever the soft thing was and began to unfold it. Realizing it was a blanket, you stood up and moved around to the back of the couch where there was a lot more room to unfold it. Once finally opened all the way, and laid on Mettaton’s hardwood floor, you examined the blanket.

   It had his face on it.

   Undyne began to howl with laughter and you looked over to Mettaton, raising a brow. “Really?”

   “Oh my darling, just a poster with my face isn’t enough for your home! With me not around to hold you on cold winter nights, you’ll need something else, that’s why I’ve supplied you with a beautiful blanket.”

   You blushed a bit and began to fold it back up as you replied. “I should have never expected anything less from you.”

   “Oh honey, never think that I would go less-- bigger is better!” He replied in a thick, suave tone.

   Once folding it up again, you set it aside as you sat back down on the couch. You reached into the bag again and pulled out a rather big box. Unwrapping it, you came to find it was filled with tubes of gouache. Your jaw dropped. Gouache was a very expensive painting medium that you loved using. It was somehow a mix between acrylic paint and watercolor, and you knew sets of 5 colors to be over 30 dollars, and this set was labeled with the huge, whopping number of 85 tubes. You didn’t even want to imagine how much this must have cost. But you did, and it easily could have cost him upwards of 700 dollars.

   You shifted your gaze to your boyfriend who was smiling brightly and looking at you expectantly, his eye was literally a pulsating star. “So?” he asked.

   “M-Mettaton, t-this must have cost-” You were cut off by his finger.

   “I know, but you were running so low, you needed more.” He smiled.

   Once he removed his finger, you spoke with jubilance. “T-Thank you, t-this means so much to me.” You looked back down at the box on your lap, shaking your head in disbelief. “I-I really appreciate this.”

   “There’s still one more.” He said, gesturing to the bag.

   You nodded as you set the box down and reached into the bag, pulling out a small cylinder. Turning it over in your hands, you found it to be a bottle of some type of makeup. “What is--” You paused, reading the word ‘concealer’, and felt your face warm up again.

   “What is it?” You heard Papyrus ask curiously.

   “Why darlings, it’s just a simple tube of concealer.” Mettaton mused, you could hear the smirk in his voice.

   “I didn’t know you wore makeup, kid.” Undyne replied.

   You were about to open your mouth to speak but suddenly Mettaton spoke in your place.

   “Oh, no no, they don’t, but,” Suddenly, with a devilish grin plastered across his face, his hand gripped the scarf at your neck and before you could stop him, he unwrapped it. “They need it to hide this little beauty instead of hiding behind a scarf!”

   The room was dissonant with mixed responses; Toriel covered Frisk’s eyes, and Sans and Undyne were laughing up a storm, along with Alphys who was also giggling a bit. Papyrus’ head was tilted in confusion, and Mettaton’s face was painted in a playful smirk as he blocked your view of his cousin.

   “Mettaton!” You yelled, your face probably as red as the Santa dress he was wearing. “I can’t believe you! That’s not fair.”

   “All's fair in love and war, my dear.” He cooed.

   “Then this is war!”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Holidays everyone!! 
> 
> This chapter was so much fun ;u; Please enjoy it!!
> 
> I want to thank all that have helped me thus far and given me help and suggestions when I've needed it! Love you guys!
> 
> I also deeply want to thank senseimac on tumblr, she's become such a dear friend to me, as well as my new editor. I hadn't really had one before, so I really really appreciate her in depth help. Thanks so much, Mac! This means a lot!!
> 
> ~~~~  
> My Commissions are open! I'm saving to study abroad in Japan this summer so I would really appreciate it!!
> 
> http://demisexualmettaton.tumblr.com/post/134990305170/demisexualmettaton-hey-guys-so-im-opening-up
> 
> I know it says to message me on tumblr, but for those of you without one, you can email me at amy.andrews@montserrat.edu
> 
> Go listen to the fic playlist on 8tracks, and please keep recommending songs, I would greatly appreciate it!!!  
> http://8tracks.com/koalolive/bookmarks
> 
> If you want talk about the fic or make any fanart or whatever, hmu! Ive changed my tumblr url to demisexualmettaton.tumblr.com, so, if you still end up going to koalolive, it should have a message to redirect you there!  
> But please, if you can, if you're going to tag or @ me, along with demisexualmettaton, please include koalolive with it, so that when I switch back, I'll still be able to find things with one tag! Also, tag it as 'undertale bookmarks' because thats helpful and what I tag all my stuff as.
> 
> Thanks for taking the time to read. If you have any general comments, critique, or suggestions, don't hesitate to leave a comment. I would really appreciate suggestions of any kind.


	25. Promise

   As the clock struck 9, everyone began to leave Mettaton’s apartment. You said your goodbyes to each person as they stepped out, and Napstablook before they phased through the floor.

   Once everyone had gone, you felt a pair of arms wrap around your waist from behind. You felt your face grow warm knowing it was Mettaton leaning down to do so.

   “Sweetheart?” He questioned softly.

   “Y-Yes?”

   “Tell me,” he whispered. “Why haven’t you eaten all day?”

   “Huh?”

   Mettaton let go of you and quickly spun you around to face him. “Dear, I’ve heard your stomach growling since 7:30.” He said, concerned.

   “Oh uh… Sorry…” You glanced down, coincidentally, your stomach growled. “I, uh, I tend to lose my appetite when I have ... breakdowns.” You replied, rubbing an arm. “It usually lasts all day, sorry.”

   “Honey, at least try to eat something, I don’t want you to get sick.”

   You looked up to him and nodded.

   He gazed over the table with only scraps left, then back to you. “Let me make you something-- what would you like?”

   “Oh uh… A grilled cheese is fine.” You replied.

   “A grilled cheese it is.” He smiled and made his way to the kitchen.

   You looked around the huge, open living room. Considering a party had just finished, the room was fairly clean. The only thing really messy was the table covered in practically nothing, and trash bags filled with wrapping paper to be recycled. As you glanced around a bit more, you saw the huge windows that lined one side of his apartment, and snow falling on the other side of them.

   Upon dashing to the window, you looked out and saw a small terrace-- one of which you never knew Mettaton had. Dusted over everything, was at least an inch or so of snow, and opening the door, you let the cold air hit your face with a stinging sensation. You stepped out and inhaled deeply through your nose, the freezing air burned as you enjoyed the scent of it, mixed with the smell of far off burning fireplaces, and finally exhaling with a joyful sigh. You held a hand out, your palm facing the cloudy sky as snowflakes tickled the tips of your fingers, and wished you weren’t so warm, wanting to closely examine each flake for their individual beauty.

   You made your way toward the railing of the terrace, looking over the twinkling lights of the city. Being completely unaware of your surroundings, or how long you had actually been outside, you didn’t notice that Mettaton had called your name, (several times in fact,) and came out to get your attention, putting his hand on your shoulder and startling you ever so slightly.

   “Oh!” you exclaimed softly, turning and looking up to him. “S-sorry.”

   “Let’s go inside, your shivering.” He said, motioning to the door.

   You looked down at your hands, watching them tremble, not realizing until now how cold you were.

   He wrapped an arm around you, gently ushering you inside, and closing the door behind the both of you.

   You noticed he had set up two chairs and a little table right by the window; you had no idea where in the world he got all this furniture.

   “Would you like anything to drink?” He asked, grabbing your attention once more.

   Looking up to him, you replied. “Just water.”

   “No hot chocolate?” he tempted.

   “Maybe after, I’m not so sure chocolate and cheese go together?” You asked, furrowing your brow.

   He chuckled as he set down a water bottle for you, then walked off to his bedroom. You sat down and glanced out the window again, eating your sandwich as Mettaton did whatever it was he was doing.  

   A little while later, Mettaton entered the room as you finished the sandwich. He offered a hand to you. You took it, a bit curious as to what was going on, and stood up as he lead you to his bedroom. The lights were dim, and the room was filled with the soft sound of _The Christmas Song_ by Nat King Cole. Mettaton sat down with you on his bed, the curtains were drawn so you could still see the snow falling outside in front of the city skyline. He had changed out of his Santa dress and was now in a comfortable looking burgundy cardigan, his face stripped of makeup. You smiled sweetly as he smiled at you and then, the two of you looked out the window at the snow drifting from the sky, sitting in silence as you did.

   After a while, you felt Mettaton’s slightly cold hand rest on yours. Glancing over to him, he was holding an envelope and a small box in his free hand.

   “What’s all that?” You asked curiously, pointing.

   “Don’t you remember, dearie? I have more presents for you.” He smiled, letting go of your hand and passing you the envelope. “The only time I wished it wasn’t snowing though.”

   Confused, you opened the envelope, unfolding it and reading over the lines of a printed certificate. Looking up from the paper, then back down at it, then up to him again. “Did you… Did you buy me a star, Mettaton?”

   All he was doing, was smiling, probably as bright as the star in question.

   “Oh wow, this is... this is so nice.” You said, bringing a hand to your mouth.

   “I named it after you.”

   “What? Really?” You asked, looking over the paper again, he was right, it was named after you.

   “I have one last thing for you.” He said.

   You looked up from the paper to see him holding a jewelry box, like a ring box, but double the size. “Huh?”

   He opened it, revealing two rings. Upon close inspection, the rings seemed to be made of dark pink or purple resin, with small flakes of gold running throughout.

   You looked up to him, seeing the pink of his eye glowing in the dim lighting of the room. Blushing, you asked. “W-What are these?”

   “Well um,” He glanced away. “I wanted us to have matching promise rings, but um, not in the religious sense or anything like that.” He babbled. “I wanted to promise to you, that I …” He trailed off.

   You leaned over, placing a gentle kiss on his lips, making his fans whirr a bit. When you pulled away, he continued his thought.

   “I wanted to make a promise that I would always be there for you, and make sure that you’re safe.” He replied. “Even now, more than ever.”

   You felt your face heat up a bit, you were touched by his words. You looked over the rings again.

   “Do … You like them?” He asked, hesitantly.

   For some reason, your felt the overwhelming urge to cry, and you did. At first, the tears just trickled down your face, but suddenly poured out like waterfalls. Mettaton’s face shifted to worry, (or what you thought was,) through your tear-filled eyes. You waved your hands, trying to signal that you were fine, muttering “I-I’m oka-okay.”

   You felt him cup your face with his hands, wiping your tears with this thumbs.

   Sniffling, you looked at him, replying. “I-I’m sorry, I’m just really, really happy, I-I don’t deserve this.”

   “Of course you do, my dear.” Mettaton then placed a firm kiss onto your forehead as you sniffled. Then, he let go of your face, reaching onto the bed, and grabbing the box. He took your left hand gently into his, sliding the ring onto it. “Perfect fit.” he said softly.

   You looked at the band around your finger. The only word that could escape your lips was, “Wow.” Your eyes then trailed to the box, his ring still in it. You reached out and plucked it from the fabric, holding out your other hand. “Gimmie your hand.” You commanded.

   He placed his left hand into yours and you proceeded to slide the ring onto his metal finger. You looked up to him, smiling sweetly. “There.”

   You heard his fans whirr loudly and couldn’t stop the giggle that escaped your lips.

   “Don’t laugh at me.” He protested.

   You couldn’t help yourself and ended up laughing more.

   Suddenly, Mettaton’s lips curled into a smirk as he grasped your hand that was gently holding his. He lifted it, placing a kiss on top of it.

   You felt heat rise to your own face, and as he kissed your hand, his glowing eye shifted to look at you, and the heat in your face grew warmer.

   Mettaton leaned closer to you, placing gentle kisses up your arm to where the sleeve of your shirt started.

   “M-Mettaton.”

   “Hm?” He pulled away, smirking.

   “I-I forgot to bring pajamas with me.” You replied, wanting to fan your face with a hand, but gripping the blanket to stop yourself.

   He snickered and let go of your hand. “I’ll go find something for you.”

   You watched him get up and walk into his closet, and once out of sight, you fanned yourself with a hand, muttering under your breath. “What the fuck.”

   Hearing his heels clicking back into the room, you put your hand back to your side as he walked back over to you. “What was that, dear?”

   “N-Nothing.” You replied as he stepped in front of you.

   “If you say so.” He shrugged, holding out some folded clothes to you.

   You took them and stood up, rushing over to his bathroom. Changing, you looked at yourself in the mirror that stretched across the whole wall, looking at yourself in his clothing. The tee shirt adorning his brand’s logo was big on you, so big in fact that it exposed a fair amount of your collarbone, as well as one of your shoulders. It was even long enough to cover most of the boxers he had leant you as well. What did he even have boxers for anyway? Did he lounge around in them? You didn’t see him as that type of guy. Exiting the bathroom, you saw Mettaton on his bed, admiring the ring on his finger.

   “Darling, I’m so happy with how the rings turned out, the gold glitters even in this dim lighting!” He mused.

   You looked down at your own ring as you walked over to him; he was right, it was visible in the low-lights. But looking at it as you reached him wasn’t the best idea, because before you knew it, Mettaton had grabbed you by the waist and pulled you onto the bed with him, causing you to gasp, continuing to roll over, so he was towering over you.

   “Hello, darling.”

   A simple “H-Hi.” Was all that could escape your lips.

   The gravity pulled the hair out of his face, and you gazed up into his glowing eyes, his lids heavy as he leaned in closer to you. “Did you enjoy the party?” He asked softly.

   You nodded.

   “I’m glad.” He leaned in closer, pressing his forehead against yours.

   You felt your face grow warmer once he did.

   Suddenly, a chuckle escaped his lips.

   “W-What?” You asked.

   “You’re so warm, darling, do you need a fan or something? Perhaps I can open a window?” He suggested in a playful whisper.

   “I-I’m fine.” You denied. But the truth was, Mettaton was making you really flustered, and you were pretty sure he was doing it on purpose.

   “Are you sure?” He asked again as he pulled away, this time, his lips curled into a smirk.

   “Y-Yep.” You squeaked.

   “If you say so.” The robot said in a softer voice.

   He stayed there, towering over you, the both of your gazes locked to one another, for a good few minutes, before he did anything. He began to lean down to you again, but you quickly decided to tease him.

   “Okay, night~” You replied, turning to your side and pretending to fall asleep.

   “Oh no you don’t.” You heard him say, then felt his hand at your waist, tickling it.

   Your eyes shot open as you began to laugh uncontrollably, your voice bouncing against the walls of his huge room. “M-M-Mettaton! S-Stop!” You stuttered with a voice riddled with giggles.

   “And what will I get out of it?” He asked, continuing to tickle your waist.

   “A-Anything!” You laughed, your body shifting to your back.

   A few moments later, and he stopped, pulling his hand from your waist.

   You took a few deep breaths and wiped the corners of your eyes as you looked up to him. “S-So, what do you want?” You asked, breathlessly.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys liked this chapter, I thought it was really fun and cute. 
> 
> Also, here are what the rings look like. I feel like the darker purple was gender neutral enough.   
> https://www.etsy.com/listing/173879965/deep-purple-resin-ring-stacking-ring?ref=shop_home_active_5
> 
> ~~~~  
> My Commissions are open! I'm saving to study abroad in Japan this summer so I would really appreciate it!!
> 
> http://demisexualmettaton.tumblr.com/post/134990305170/demisexualmettaton-hey-guys-so-im-opening-up
> 
> I know it says to message me on tumblr, but for those of you without one, you can email me at amy.andrews@montserrat.edu
> 
> Go listen to the fic playlist on 8tracks, and please keep recommending songs, I would greatly appreciate it!!!  
> http://8tracks.com/koalolive/bookmarks
> 
> If you want talk about the fic or make any fanart or whatever, hmu! Ive changed my tumblr url to demisexualmettaton.tumblr.com, so, if you still end up going to koalolive, it should have a message to redirect you there!  
> But please, if you can, if you're going to tag or @ me, along with demisexualmettaton, please include koalolive with it, so that when I switch back, I'll still be able to find things with one tag! Also, tag it as 'undertale bookmarks' because thats helpful and what I tag all my stuff as.
> 
> Thanks for taking the time to read. If you have any general comments, critique, or suggestions, don't hesitate to leave a comment. I would really appreciate suggestions of any kind.


	26. Payback

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: The beginning of this chapter is a little more on the handsy side.

   “Hmm, what do I want?” Mettaton mused aloud, placing a finger to his lips, glancing up. Then, looking back to you deviously, he replied with a simple, “Kiss me.”

   “Is that it? Really?” You asked. 

   He only nodded his response. 

   You leaned up, going to place a kiss on his lips, but suddenly, Mettaton flipped the two of you over. It took a few moments to realize what had actually happened, and once you did, you found yourself to be straddling Mettaton’s lap. Your face grew hot as you looked down at him, his hair was all over the place, and he was trying not to laugh. 

   “So, am I going to get that kiss, or what?” He asked, playfully winking. 

   You put your hands on either side of his face, gently, your fingers barely hovering over his shiny, metal cheekbones. Leaning down, your eyes fluttered closed as you placed your lips on his. Although you had only intended to give him a sweet kiss and end it there, you found yourself enraptured by his lips. You slowly trickled your hands up the sides of his face and gently slid your fingers through his silky locks. Sliding your tongue gently against his bottom lip, you were met with his as he rested his hands at your hips, hearing his fans whirr louder and louder with each passing moment. As you kissed and ran your hands through his hair, your mouth twisted into a gentle smirk, getting an idea. You decided to gently nibble on his bottom lip. 

   Before you knew it, you were sitting upright again. Looking down, you saw Mettaton’s eyes wide, his arms extended, holding you upright and away from him as you straddled him, you heard his fans going what sounded like full blast. 

   “Mettaton? Are you okay?”

   “J-Jus-Just give me a-a-a mo-moment, darli-darling.” he answered, his voice dripping with glitches. 

   A worried expression painted your face once you heard his glitching, but you realized why, and a smirk spread across your lips. “Am I making you flustered?”

   “O-Of course you are, dar-darling! W-What’s gotten into you?!” He asked, almost breathlessly, as if he needed to breathe.

   As he let go of you and you climbed off his lap, you replied. “Payback for the hickey.”

   “O-Oh really now?” his tone sounded a bit condescending as the glitches died down. 

   “Yep.” You replied, climbing under the blankets and laying down on your side, facing him.

   He shifted beneath the blankets to join you, laying on his side as well, then proceeded to wrap an arm around your waist, pulling you close to him. “Because I don’t see a hickey.”

   “What do you mean you don’t see…” You remembered Mettaton had showed you how to put the concealer on. 

   “So there’s no reason for you to have flustered me.” He said softly, leaning his head closer to you, burying it in the crook of your neck. 

   “Ah.” You gasped softly. “M-Mettaton.”

   “Hm?” He hummed as he kissed your neck gently.

   “T-This is, s-so unfair.” You put your hands behind his head.

   You felt him smirk against your neck as he kissed and began gently sucking. A small gasp escaped your lips as he continued, and as his hand made his way down your waist, another one escaped. Sucking harder on your neck and licking it gently, Mettaton’s hand reached your ass. You felt the heat rise in every inch of your body; biting your bottom lip, you anticipated what was going to happen next. Mettaton’s hand gently groped, and any amount of force biting down on your lips to keep them shut couldn’t stop the gentle moan that escaped them. 

   Feeling Mettaton look up to you, his head in your hands, you looked down to meet his gaze. His fans were whirring and there were hearts in his eyes. 

   “W-What?” You asked nervously, your face was flushed and you bit your lip out of nervousness. 

   He groped again, and another moan followed. 

   Out of embarrassment, you pulled your hands from behind his head, and buried your face into them.

   “Oh darling, don’t cover up your face.” He pulled his hand away and brought it to your hands, moving them out of the way. 

   You looked at him timidly. “S-Sorry… T-That was really embarrassing.”

   “Payback.” He replied with a smirk.

   You pouted and turned your back to him. “I’m gonna get you back, this score  _ will _ get settled.” 

   “I’d love to see you try.” You heard him chuckle in response. A moment later, you felt both his arms wrap around your waist, but to your surprise, they continued to coil a couple times as they pulled you closer to him. 

   “Ah! Hey.” You replied in fake protest as he pulled you so close you could feel his breath on the back of your neck, his mouth inches from it. You pursed your lips. “You don’t need to breathe, do you?” 

   “Hm? No, why do you ask?” 

   “Well… I was gonna comment on the fact that I can feel you exhaling on the back of my neck…” 

   A chuckle escaped from his lips. “Well, darling, I don’t  _ have _ to, but I go through the motions, and the heat you’re feeling is emitted from my mechanics.” He replied, pausing a moment. “Does it bother you?” 

   “No, it’s… Oddly comforting.”

   A second later you felt his lips against your nape, his voice followed. “Darling, do you know how much you mean to me?”

   You felt your cheeks warm a bit, from both the kiss and his words. “How much?” You asked.

   Feeling his arms coil around you tighter, lovingly, and his head nuzzle against yours, he responded in a sweet whisper, starting with your name. “So much, so much that I don’t know the words to describe it. The light that shines from you is greater than the sun, the stars, and every twinkling galaxy in the universe put together.” He finished, nuzzling his head against yours a bit more. 

   A burning sensation welled up inside of you, probably with the heat of all these stars he was comparing you to, and you were sure that he could feel it. 

   “You’re so cute.” The robot whispered. “I love how flustered you get.”

   “Better watch out, I’ll bite you again.” You retorted. 

   He gasped. “You wouldn’t.”

   “I would.” You replied seriously, but followed with a giggle, unable to keep up the facade. 

   “I love you.” He said, snuggling closer. 

   “I-I love you, too.”

~~~

   Feeling an absence, in your hazy, half awake state, you rolled over to Mettaton’s side of the bed, not finding him there. You continued to roll one more time, still not finding him. Rolling a third time, you fell off the bed with a thump, taking the blankets with you. A groan escaped your lips, and following it, you heard your boyfriend’s robotic voice. 

   “Sweethe- Sweetheart! Are you okay?!” He gasped, rushing to your aide. 

   You groggily attempted to wave a hand, but you were covered in blankets, and they were too heavy for you this soon after you had woken up. 

   He chuckled in relief, and through your heavy lidded eyes, you saw him lay down on the ground beside you, a gentle smile on his face. “C’mon pumpkin, time to get up.” 

   Grabbing at the blanket, you pulled it over your head, groaning again. 

   The blanket was moved almost instantly and Mettaton pressed his lips to yours, deeply. 

   Your eyes widened. How dare he use his lips to wake you up, that was definitely some type of cheating. 

   When he pulled away, he was smiling playfully. “Rise and shine.” 

   “How dare you.” You pouted, finally sitting upright.

   “I couldn’t resist, you look so cute when you’re half asleep.” He replied as he sat up as well.

   “You say that about my every other state of being.”

   “That doesn’t make it any less true.”

   You paused a moment, leaning closer to him, examining his face closely.

   “Is something wrong dear?” He asked curiously.

   Bringing up your left hand, you pushed his hair out of the way, then proceeded to bring both your hands to his face, holding it in place as you looked at it closer. You heard his fans whirring.

   “Are… You wearing what I got you?” You asked, looking at the glitter upon his cheeks.

   “The dusting powder? Of course I am.” He replied in a dumbfounded tone. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

   You let go of his face. “Well, I didn’t know, you never told me if you liked it or not.”

   “Oh goodness, dear, I am  _ so _ sorry! I was so wrapped up in giving you gifts that I forgot to tell you what I thought. Dear, I adore it; you really don’t need to get me anything else.”

   “But…”

   “No buts, c’mon, let’s get you off the floor.” As he got to his feet, he offered a hand to you.

   Sighing, you took his hand gently as he pulled you to your feet, it was just then that you realized he was wearing an apron covered in flour. Furrowing your brow, you asked. “Did you make something?”

   He didn’t answer, but only smiled, pulling you toward the door of the bedroom. Following him out of the room and to the kitchen, he showed you a big ball of dough on his granite countertop. “Let’s make cookies.” He chimed.

   Glancing up to him, you asked, “For breakfast?”

   “Why not?” A chuckle escaped his lips.

   “I like the way you think.” Your mouth forming a gentle smile. “Let me just take care of a few things first.”

   He nodded, letting go of your hand.

   You quickly went back into his room and to the master bath, taking care of morning business, as well as taking your morning medication, and once finished you made your way back to the kitchen. Once you got there, Mettaton was flattening the huge ball of dough with a rolling pin, you leaned over the counter, across from him.

   “I don’t have many cookie cutters.” he admitted.

   You glanced over, seeing only four shapes; a circle, a square, a heart, and a star. Looking back to him, you asked. “That’s okay, we can make the decorations look great.” You smiled.

   “And how would you like to decorate them? Frosting, sprinkles, edible glitter, normal glitter, sequins, lace, the list goes on and on, my dear.” He looked up to you as he finished rolling, putting the tray to the side.

   “All of that sounds fantastic.” You replied, going over to his side of the counter, picking up a cookie cutter.

   “Good.” He chuckled.

   The both of you spent the next half hour cutting out the cookies together, putting them on baking sheets, and shoving them into the oven to bake for 15 minutes. As you waited, Mettaton got out all of the ingredients to make the icing from scratch as well as every bit of decoration he had mentioned previously-- he  _ literally _ got the sequins and the lace.

   The two of you together put all of the decorations into bowls and began to mix some of the icing. Halfway through the mixing, the timer went off and Mettaton took the finished cookies out of the oven and put all of them onto cooling racks, so they would cool faster. After that, the two of you continued to make the icing. Well, Mettaton made it; he just had you stirring.

   “Oh!” He looked up from what he was doing. “Darling, I have exciting news~” He chanted.

   You looked up from the small bowl of icing he gave you to mix with a curious expression.

   “In a week, I will be hosting one of the most luxurious New Years Eve parties on the continent!” he exclaimed.

   You were anything but excited.

   Mettaton frowned at your lack of enthusiasm. “Dear, aren’t you thrilled?”

   You looked down at the bowl of white frosting you were still mixing. “Mettaton… The last time we went to a party, it resulted in me getting hate mail and stuff… I don’t know if I want that to happen all over again.”

   “Darling, nothing like that is going to happen, it already happened.” He replied reassuringly.

   Shooting your head up, you replied anxiously. “You don’t know that, w-what if it just gets worse and worse? What if I get a new email and then people find that one and keep sending me more? A-And-” You cut yourself off, as you started to panic.

   Mettaton rushed over to you, taking the bowl from your grasp and replacing it with his own hands. “Sweetie, it’s okay.”

   “W-What if it isn’t?” You ask.

   “It is.” He said, placing a tender kiss on your forehead. “Honey, everything is going to go smoothly, alright? I promise you this.”

   “Really? You promise?” You looked up to meet his gaze.

   He nodded, running a metal finger over the ring on your left hand. “Promise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy this fluffy chapter, because it's the last you're gonna have for a while.
> 
> This took a long time to write, I've been having trouble with the plot up until now and I can finally say that I know where the next four or five chapters is headed and its not a good place. So, for those of you readers complaining about the fic being too light and void of conflict, get ready for a shitstorm.
> 
> ~~~~  
> My Commissions are open! I'm saving to study abroad in Japan this summer so I would really appreciate it!!
> 
> http://demisexualmettaton.tumblr.com/post/134990305170/demisexualmettaton-hey-guys-so-im-opening-up
> 
> I know it says to message me on tumblr, but for those of you without one, you can email me at amy.andrews@montserrat.edu
> 
> Go listen to the fic playlist on 8tracks, and please keep recommending songs, I would greatly appreciate it!!!  
> http://8tracks.com/koalolive/bookmarks
> 
> If you want talk about the fic or make any fanart or whatever, hmu! Ive changed my tumblr url to demisexualmettaton.tumblr.com, so, if you still end up going to koalolive, it should have a message to redirect you there!  
> But please, if you can, if you're going to tag or @ me, along with demisexualmettaton, please include koalolive with it, so that when I switch back, I'll still be able to find things with one tag! Also, tag it as 'undertale bookmarks' because thats helpful and what I tag all my stuff as.
> 
> Thanks for taking the time to read. If you have any general comments, critique, or suggestions, don't hesitate to leave a comment. I would really appreciate suggestions of any kind.


	27. Countdown

   In a snap, the 31 st of December rolled around and you were still a bit apprehensive about going to this party. It was going to be another televised event like the last had been, only this time, it was more of just a huge dance party than an elegant celebration. Mettaton wanted to end the year with a bang.

   You were at your apartment going over your outfits (you couldn't depend on Mettaton for everything), so, you were pretty impressed with yourself when you put together something nice. Once dressed, you glanced over to the clock, which read 4:15 pm. Mettaton’s party didn't start until 6, but he wanted the both of you to get there rather early because he had something to show you.

   Proceeding to wait for him, you sat down on your couch and gazed at the ring on your left hand, smiling gently. 

   Taking a deep breath, you really hoped that tonight would go a lot better than the last party in terms of the result. You knew that you weren't going to be getting any more hate mail-- well, not that you wouldn't  _ get _ anymore, just that you wouldn't see it. Mettaton had made you tell Alphys about what was happening (strictly with only the mail), and she quickly helped you by making a filter for your email account, weeding out anything hateful and instantly deleting it. 

   Your thoughts were interrupted by a distant car honk. Getting up from the couch, you went to the window, seeing Mettaton’s torso sticking out from his sunroof, adorning a black and grey fur coat. He waved upon seeing you appear in the window. 

   You smiled and waved back to him, then going to get your coat. You shuffled into it and made your way down the stairs and quickly out the door, but you were so caught up with seeing Mettaton holding the limo door open, you didn't check to see if there was ice on the steps leading up to your apartment. 

   There was, and you slipped. 

   You quickly grabbed the railing, clinging to it, stopping your fall. 

   Mettaton rushed over to you. “Oh my goodness, darling!” He carefully made his way up the steps and helped you stand up straight, as well as gain your footing. “Dear, are you alright?”

   You nodded and laughed weakly. “Y-Yeah.”

   He exhaled in relief, even though he didn't need to. “C’mon, take my arm.” He said, offering it to you. 

   You didn't protest and took his arm encased in the fur, walking down the steps and over to the limousine. Getting inside, Napstablook floated there with a worried expression. 

   “A-Are you okay?” They asked. 

   You nodded. “Don't worry, I'm fine.”

   Closing the door to the right of you, you looked over and watched Mettaton as he shifted a bit to get comfortable and crossed one leg over the other. He wrapped an arm around you, his wrist resting on your left shoulder. 

   As the limo started moving, Mettaton pulled you a bit closer to him, he proceeded to stroke your left cheek gently with a thumb. “I'm so excited to spend New Year's Eve with you.” 

   Blushing a bit, you smiled. “Me too.”

~~~

   The three of you made pleasant conversation as you traveled in the limo to the venue of the party, it was a dance club on the top floor of a building near the center of downtown. Upon pulling up, there was already a small crowd of paparazzi waiting at the front door of the building. 

   You swallowed hard. 

   Sensing your nervousness, Mettaton gave you a final squeeze before unwrapping his arm from you. “Don’t worry, darling, everything is going to be fine.” 

   The limo driver then opened the door and Mettaton stepped out, and the camera flashes started as soon as he extended a leg. Once out of the limo himself, he leaned down, offering a hand to you. 

   You gently took it and he helped you out, camera flashes going off in every direction. 

   Once Napstablook was out as well, Mettaton took the lead, waving to the cameras as he gently held your hand, guiding you toward the door. You followed his lead and waved timidly as you walked inside. 

   The three of you then proceeded to enter the elevator and head to the top floor. Once the door slid open, it revealed a huge room, glass windows bordering three of the four sides, making it feel somewhat like a fishbowl. People were running around, getting ready for this party. 

   “I’m... gonna go start setting up.” Napstablook said with a timid smile, nodding over to a stage.

   “Yes, yes, Blooky! Please do!” Mettaton smiled. 

   You watched them float off, then, glanced back up to your boyfriend. He seemed to be looking around for something, or someone. “Mettaton?” 

   “Hm?” He hummed in response, still looking around. 

   Glancing around, you asked. “Uh, are you looking for something?” 

   “Yes, but it seems they aren’t here yet.” He replied, proceeding to look down at you.

   “Okay, well… Do you need me to help with anything?” You offered, glancing around again. 

   “Oh, no, no, dear, of course not. I don’t want you to lift a finger.” He smiled. 

   “Well… Okay…” 

   Suddenly, Mettaton’s head shot up, and he pointed to someone behind you. “You there, yes you, you’re hanging those upside down!” He looked back down to you. “Darling, I’ll be right back.” 

   You turned, your eyes following him as he scolded someone putting up some last minute decorations, and Mettaton proceeding to show them how to hang them correctly. Looking around, you saw everyone was being productive, doing something, and you were just standing there. You bit your bottom lip and were about to go over to Mettaton, when you heard the elevator ding. 

   Turning to it, you saw someone walk out, and you were immediately intimidated by their looks alone. They were tall, not as tall as Mettaton, but definitely at least 6 inches taller than you were. They had hair so perfect it seemed like they just got back from filming a shampoo commercial. They had big, round eyes, and full lashes to compliment them. And their smile, so blindingly perfect you almost felt the need to squint. 

   Stepping out of the elevator, they looked around, their high heels clicking with each step they took, reminiscent of someone you knew. Their hand was on their hip as they held a clutch purse in it, and they adorned a dress that fit their figure in all the right places. 

   “Mindy! Darling! You’re finally here!” You heard Mettaton call from behind you. 

   Looking back, you watched Mettaton strut from whatever he was doing across the room, over to the blindingly attractive person. 

   “Metta-baby!” They exclaimed in response, opening their arms to him. 

   You watched the two of them embrace, and you weren’t sure why, but you felt your stomach tighten.

   “Dear, it’s been too long.” Mettaton said in a sing-songy tone as he let go of them. 

   They giggled. “It's been three days~”

   You bit your lip as you watched the interaction, awkwardly standing about five feet away.

   Finally noticing you, Mettaton turned his head to you. “Oh, sweetheart! This is who I wanted you to meet.” He said, with a beaming smile. 

   Beckoning you over with a hand, you took a few steps over, the person beside him flashed a million dollar smile. 

   “Darling, this is my new co-host for my show, Mindy Herring! Ah, she’s an absolute delight.” He said, gesturing a gloved hand to her. 

   “It’s a pleasure.” She said, extending a delicate hand to you. 

   You nodded and shook her hand. “L-Likewise.” 

   “I’ve heard so much about you, Mettaton never shuts up.” She said with a giggle. 

   “Really?” You asked, glancing over to him as you let go of Mindy’s hand.

   Mettaton was smiling, his head tilted a bit as he looked at you, lovingly. “But that’s only because you’re one of the only things I think about.”

   Looking away, you blushed as you puffed out your cheeks, not giving him an audible response. 

   Mindy giggled again. “The dynamic the two of you have is adorable.” 

   You glanced over to her, a bit embarrassed. 

   “Mindy, dear, we need to go over our announcement one more time before everyone starts to arrive.” Mettaton said, placing a hand on her arm. 

   She smiled and eagerly nodded. “I’m all for it!”

   Mettaton turned to you, flashing you an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, dear. I’m going to have to leave you alone for a little while.”

   “T-That’s fine, but…” You glanced around at everyone rushing in different directions. “Where should  _ I _ go? I don’t want to be in they way of anyone.”

   “The bar seems like a good spot.” Mindy chimed in, pointing a manicured finger over to it. 

   You glanced over, she was right. “Yeah, I guess I’ll just-”

   “Okay darling! I’ll see you soon!” Mettaton cut you off.

   You turned to see him waving to you as he walked toward a set of double doors with Mindy on his arm, she was also waving goodbye. 

   You felt your stomach tighten again. 

~~~

   It was now 11:25, you had wasted the entire evening sitting at the bar. You weren’t even drinking, you had drank maybe 3 drinks at most, and it was almost midnight. Mettaton had been running around all night, chatting with god knows who, every time he had passed you, he always promised that he would come back to see you, but he never did.

   Instead of your evening being filled with him, it was filled with people coming up to you, asking you about your relationship with the party’s host. You had the same conversation over and over with different people every half hour. Your mind wandered a bit, maybe he was doing this on purpose for your sake? Maybe he just wanted you to be on your own and try to make connections with people without his help? 

   As you scrolled down the feed on some social media site on your cellphone, you heard the sound of fingers tapping a microphone. Looking up, you saw Mettaton standing beside Mindy on stage. 

   “Good evening, beauties and gentle beauties! I hope all of you have been having a fantastic time! Because I know I have.”

   The crow of people cheered in reply and he brought up a hand to hush them. 

   They did, and he continued. “So, It’s about a half an hour to midnight and I think that right now is an opportune time to give my big announcement.” He smiled widely, beaconing over a few cameramen with a finger.

   “As many of you may know, at my last event, I announced that in this new year, I’ll finally have a brand new show-- well, it's coming, my beauties!”

   The crowd erupted with cheers and Mettaton raised a gloved hand to hush the crowd. 

   He spoke again when they did. “In two weeks time, I, along with my lovely new co-star here, will be premiering in my new late night talk show! Here, darling, introduce yourself!”

   Mindy took his place in front of the mic, a huge smile plastered upon her face. “Hello everyone! My name is Mindy Herring and I am more than elated to be working beside the fabulous Mettaton.” She pursed her lips and blew a kiss to the superstar, who proceeded to catch it and wave to the crowd.

   The crowd erupted into applause and cheers. Mettaton then proceeded to take his place back in front of the mic and began talking again. “Thank you, thank you! So! Catch Metta-talks on January 14th at 9:00pm!” Mettaton beamed. 

   As he stepped off the stage, and was soon approached by a bunch of people. Big surprise. 

   You turned back to the bar and finally decided to order another a drink, maybe something would help lighten your mood. As you watched the flaming bartender shake your drink, your vision was quickly covered by a set of hands. You gasped in surprise. 

   Hearing a robotic voice whisper into your ear. “Guess who~?”

   “M-Mettaton, let me go.” You stammered. 

   Your eyesight returned and before you on the bar was your finished drink, and Mettaton appearing at your side with an expectant smile. “So, so, did you like the announcement?”

   You nodded. “Yeah, I’m happy for you.” 

   “Good.” He replied, taking a seat on the stool beside you. “So, are you enjoying yourself?” He asked. 

   You picked up your drink and took a sip; strong. Turning to him you shrugged. “I guess so.”

   “Well that's not the answer I was expecting.” He said, slightly frowning. 

   “Well,” You started. “I just thought we were spending the evening together, and you haven't really had a conversation with me since we got here.” Bringing the glass to your mouth, you took another sip. 

   His face twisted to a distraught expression. “Oh no, darling, I'm so sorry. I've been pulled every which way all evening.” 

   You took another sip and set down the glass before speaking, staring at it as you did. “It's… It's okay, I know I can't keep you all to myself. It's just that you promised.” 

   “Oh, sweetheart.” He reached over and took your hand that was rested on your lap. “I'm sorry, but if it's any consolation, I'm here now, and I promise I will be for the rest of the evening.” 

   You looked back to him, his face in a gentle smile. His soft gaze was so infectious, you smiled back. 

   “Now, my sweet.” He stood up and extended his hand to you. “May I have this dance.”

   “You may.” A giggle escaped your lips as you took his hand, hopping off the stool. He lead you to the dance floor where there was a plethora of people danced along to the music Napstablook was playing. 

   The two of you laughed and danced together to the beat as the clock slowly ticked closer and closer to midnight. 

   Soon, the time reached 3 minutes to midnight and someone had Napstablook lower the music to turn on a large TV, displaying Times Square, getting ready for the ball to drop. 

   You felt Mettaton suddenly wrap his arms around you, embracing you sweetly. “My dear, I'm so excited to spend the start of new year with you.” 

   Looking back up to him, blushing slightly at his words, you smiled. “I'm excited too.”

   “Metta-Baby!” 

   You looked over, seeing Mindy squeezing her way through the crowd toward the both of you. 

   “Hm? What is it, Mindy, dear?” 

   “Come do the countdown!” She said loudly, in an overly cheery tone. 

   The people who had been dancing around you chimed in, agreeing with Mindy. Looking back up to Mettaton, his brows were furrowed and he opened his mouth to say something, but Mindy pulled him from you. 

   “C’mon! We only have a little bit of time left!” She said, pointing to the screen that had a minute and 30 seconds left. 

   “Alright alright, I’m coming dear, watch the suit.” He said in protest as she pulled him toward the stage. 

   He had left you there, standing amidst the crowd. 

   As he got to the stage, Mindy took the microphone from the stand and spoke into it. “Alright everyone! Mettaton is gonna do the countdown!”

   The crowd applauded and cheered. 

   Mettaton took the mic, his eye searching the crowd for something, and once it met your gaze, he gave you an apologetic look. You didn't have any time to respond to it before Mettaton started the countdown from 59. As the numbers slowly headed for 0, his excitement increased. 

   Turning away, you headed back over to the bar where the flaming bartender was setting out a bunch of empty champagne flutes and handing bottles to some staff member. Not wanting to get in anyone's way, you stood off to the side. 

   As the countdown reached the final 10, the crowd chanted along with Mettaton at the mic. “10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Happy New Year!” 

   The room erupted with cheering, couples kissing, and bottles popping. Even though you were all the way across the room, you could see what was happening onstage, clear as day. 

   A bunch of people jumped up with Mettaton and Mindy, cheering and handing them full flutes. The two of them embraced each toner, Mettaton putting an arm around her shoulder, and her arm around her waist. They raised their glasses, laughing and cheering. It was astounding how drastic the mood was of the room, compared to how you felt. 

   Out the corner of your eye, you saw a glass being offered to you. Looking over, the flaming bartender handed you a full flute. You took it, nodding your head and raising it a bit, forcing a bit of a half smile. 

      “Some New Year.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Great start to a new year, huh? >:3c  
> But this is only the beginning
> 
> Also, updates are going to be a bit more spacious, so please be patient.
> 
> Finally, I really want to thank senseimac on tumblr, like, a lot. She's been such a great friend to me these past few weeks and I care for her so deeply. She's absolutely a delight, helping me by editing, as well as keeping my spirits up. So, thanks Mac, you're one of a kind and I love you dearly. (*audible wink*)
> 
> ~~~~~~~~  
> My Commissions are open! I'm saving to study abroad in Japan this summer so I would really appreciate it!!
> 
> http://demisexualmettaton.tumblr.com/post/134990305170/demisexualmettaton-hey-guys-so-im-opening-up
> 
> I know it says to message me on tumblr, but for those of you without one, you can email me at amy.andrews@montserrat.edu
> 
> Go listen to the fic playlist on 8tracks, and please keep recommending songs, I would greatly appreciate it!!!  
> http://8tracks.com/koalolive/bookmarks
> 
> If you want talk about the fic or make any fanart or whatever, hmu! Ive changed my tumblr url to demisexualmettaton.tumblr.com, so, if you still end up going to koalolive, it should have a message to redirect you there!  
> But please, if you can, if you're going to tag or @ me, along with demisexualmettaton, please include koalolive with it, so that when I switch back, I'll still be able to find things with one tag! Also, tag it as 'undertale bookmarks' because thats helpful and what I tag all my stuff as.
> 
> Thanks for taking the time to read. If you have any general comments, critique, or suggestions, don't hesitate to leave a comment. I would really appreciate suggestions of any kind.


	28. Fine

   Mettaton sat at a large vanity mirror, his hair pushed out of his face with the help of a headband. He leaned in closely to his reflection as he rubbed some kind of solvent on his nude face. The mirror he was sitting at wasn't his own-- well, it  _ was _ , but the two of you weren't in his home; rather, his dressing room. 

   Tonight was his big night, not that every night wasn't a big night for him, but it was the debut of his new show. Looking at the time on your phone, it was 8:30 PM, 30 minutes until showtime. You were really excited for him, honestly, but you hadn't seen much of him for the last two weeks. He had been so busy making sure that this debut night was going to be flawless. You understood he was a perfectionist, but you couldn't help but miss him. 

   You were seated on one of the couches, not doing much of anything, just sitting in silence as he started on his makeup. 

   “Darling? Is something wrong? You seem awfully quiet.” He asked, glancing at you in the mirror before starting on his eyeliner. 

   “No, not really…” You replied, apprehension in your voice. 

   “That didn't sound very convincing.” He answered. 

   “Well, I did want to-” 

   Cutting you off, there was a knock at the door. 

   “Come in!” Mettaton called. 

   Walking in was a crew member carrying a bouquet. “I have another one for you, sir.”

   “Ah yes, thank you Burgerpants, just go put it with the others.” He said, gesturing with a hand. 

   Your eyes followed the cat monster who had been in and out for the last hour, bringing gifts for Mettaton, resulting in an entire corner of the room filled with flowers and gift baskets. 

   Once he left, Mettaton tore his eyes away from his reflection and looked over to the corner. “Oh my goodness, that bouquet is bigger than the last! Ah, how gorgeous!” He got up from his seat and strutted over, leaning down and sniffing the flowers. “Ah, this aroma is divine! Honey, can you believe this? Look at all of these people that adore me!” 

   You watched him from where you sat, looking over everything that had accumulated. On the table, unseen at first glance, was a small vase with a small bouquet in it, from yourself, but it's presence was masked by everything else around it. You stared at it a moment, kind of feeling the same way; a small little thing, overwhelmed by the bigness around it. 

   Speaking of bigness, you watched your boyfriend strut back over to his vanity and seat himself down. “Now, what were you saying, darling?” He asked, looking at you by the reflection of the mirror, rather than turning around.

   “Well … Um, you canceled our date last night, I was just wondering why.”

   He leaned closer to the mirror as he began to apply some eyeshadow. “Oh, darling, I’m sorry, I had to do some last minute prep for the show. I was thinking of coming over after I was done, you know, to surprise you, but I wasn’t finished until almost one in the morning. I didn’t want to wake you.”

   You were up till three, but that was besides the point. “Oh, well, did you end up finishing what you needed to?” 

   “I did, thank you for asking.” He replied happily. 

   You nodded. “That’s good. Oh, by the way, did-”

   Another knock at the door cut you off. 

   “Come in~” 

   The cat monster came in, this time followed by another crew member. He held another bouquet, and the person behind him carried a gift basket in each hand. 

   “You know where to put them.” He replied, dusting his eyelids with a bit more eyeshadow. Once they came in and left, Mettaton stood up, trotting over to the new things he had gotten. “Ohhh! This one is from the Mayor! How nice.” He smiled, gazing over one of the baskets. Then, he gasped. “Oh! Darling, this other basket is adorable, come look!” He beckoned you with a hand. 

   Standing up, you made your way over; the basket was full of Lush products. “Oh wow.” 

   “Oh my goodness, is that a powder like the one you gave me?” He asked, pointing to a bottle. 

   You nodded. It was the same glittery dusting powder you had gifted to him for Christmas, only this one was white, rather than the pink one you selected. 

   “Oh, it will be the perfect accent for my look this evening!” He began to unwrap the basket; up until this point, he hadn’t opened up any of the other ones. 

   You watched him fish the bottle out of the bag and walk back over to the vanity. Sitting down, he opened the new bottle of powder, completely ignoring the bottle he already had on the table. The bottle that you had given him. You felt your heart slowly breaking. He had chosen this random person’s gift, over yours. 

   As he began applying the sparkling dust all over himself, he asked, “My dear, I’m so sorry, but you were so rudely interrupted a moment ago-- what was it that you were saying?”

   You tried to remember what you were going to say, but you couldn’t. “It’s no big deal.” You waved, going back to the couch and sitting. 

   “Alright, if you say so.” He replied, picking up a tube of lipstick. Once he smacked his lips together for good measure, he stood up, looking over himself in the mirror as he took the headband off, and his hair fell perfectly back into place. He then took off the glove of one hand, probably trying to figure out what looked better. You assumed he liked the outfit without the gloves when he proceeded to take off the glove on his left hand. Staring at his hand a moment, he then slid the ring off his finger. The ring he shared with you.

   If your heart hadn’t broken before, it sure was now. Did the ring really clash so much with his outfit that he had to take it off? 

   Mettaton turned back to you, a wide smile spread from ear to ear as he rested his hands on his hips. “How do I look, sweetheart?” 

   Opening your mouth to speak, a third time you were cut off by a knock. 

   Mettaton’s heels clicked as he made his way to the door, opening it. But on the other side wasn’t Burgerpants, it was a different crew person. “Yes, what is it, dear?” He asked.

   “You’re on in 10, sir, and the crew would like to do a mic check and a few other tests before we start.”

   “Oh, but of course, thank you.” He replied. After the person walked off, Mettaton looked back at you. “C’mon, darling, let’s get going. It’s showtime.” 

   You put on the best smile you could and got up from the couch, walking over to him. He took your hand and the two of you made your way down the hall. 

   Since his show was in front of a live studio audience, the stage was just a short staircase from the crowd, so you just headed toward the stage with him. 

   “Oh, honey, isn’t this exciting?” He beamed down at you. 

   “Don’t you do better things than this on your other show? I mean, I know it's a premiere, but it's just a talk show, right?”

   He only laughed. “No no, dear, I meant for  _ you _ , are you excited? You know, to see me live?” His gaze was cheerful and expectant.

   “Oh.” You laughed weakly. “Well, by the way you worded it, I didn-”

   “Metta-baby!” 

   Looking over, you saw Mettaton’s co-star, Mindy, making her way down from another hallway. She was waving happily, her smile was blinding, her hair was flawless, and the dress she wore, hugged her curves. 

   Mettaton pulled his hand from yours, wrapping his arms around her in a hug. “Darling, you look amazing, stunning! The audience will eat you up.” 

   As the two let go they began to walk again and she replied. “Aw, Metta~ Not as much as they will adore you! You’re the center of attention.”

   “Oh I know, honey.” He chuckled. 

   You followed behind the two of them looking down as you walked. Your eyes staring at the back of their feet as they walked ahead of you, their footsteps were in sync, meanwhile you needed to take a step and a half to keep up. 

   The three of you reached the stage, walking out from behind a curtain. You saw a few people slowly filling into the audience and your friends already seated in the front row. A seat was saved between Alphys and Sans for you. Turning your head to Mettaton, you waited for him to finish his conversation with Mindy, but it didn’t seem like that was happening any time soon. You cleared your throat to get their attention.

   “Oh, goodness, I didn’t even see you there.” Mindy replied in a bit of shock.

   “I’ve… been here this whole time?” You replied. 

   “Hehe, whoops, sorry. I’m a little out of sorts this evening. So much excitement!” She exclaimed.

   You nodded and looked up to Mettaton. “Um, hey, Mettaton?”

   “Hm? What is it, sweetheart?” He asked.

   “Um, I… I really wanna wish you luck… So, good luck.” You said, playing a bit with the hem of your shirt. You were a bit disappointed by what had been happening all day, but you still really wanted him to do well.

   Mettaton smiled sweetly, taking your face into his hands and placing a gentle kiss on your nose. Pulling away, he replied, “Oh darling, thank you. I’ll do my best, just for you, okay?” 

   As he let go of your face, you nodded.

   “Awwww, aren’t you two the cutest!!” You heard Mindy chime. 

   “Okay,” Mettaton said your name, sweetly. “Go sit down and get comfortable, I’ve gotta start getting ready.” 

   “Okay.” You smiled, waving as you headed over to the edge of the stage, quickly making your way down the small set of stairs, and over to your friends. 

   “Hey, squirt, how’s it hangin’?” Undyne asked, an arm around her lizard girlfriend. 

   You shrugged as you sat down, seeing Undyne, Alphys and Sans all exchange glances (Papyrus was too excited and his eyes were glued to the stage). 

   Alphys stuttered from your right. “H-Heys uh… I-Is something the matter? You're usually a bit more talkative.”

   Yes. 

   “No, everything is fine.” You didn't look down at her when you responded though, your eyes were glued to the stage. Mettaton was standing in front of the long desk where he and Mindy would be seated, and he was directing some of the crew to move around the lights. Mindy stood beside him, talking and laughing. 

   You heard your name being called, by Sans. You looked down to your left where he was looking up at you. “Huh?”

   “I asked if you were sure.”

   Furrowing your brow,  you asked. “Sure about what?”

   “Sure that you're fine.” Undyne spoke. 

   Turning back to your right, you saw Undyne’s expression was a bit concerned. 

   “Sorry. I'm sorry guys.” You waved your hands dismissively. “I was up late last night. I'm just a little tired.” It wasn't a lie, you  _ were _ tired. Just… Tired and hurt. 

   “Maybe you should go home and get some rest then?” she asked. 

   “No, no. I need to stay here and support Mettaton, he would be crushed if I just up and left.” you replied. 

   “B-But-”

   You put a hand up again, signaling Alphys to stop talking. Speaking in a genuine tone, but your words were anything but. “Really, it's fine.”

   Suddenly, the house lights began to dim and the lights on the stage shone a little brighter. Mettaton stood in front of the long desk, hands on his hips, smiling. Mindy was already seated. 

   “Beauties and gentlebeauties, I'm so glad all of you could make it here tonight for the big premiere! I hope you all enjoy it.” He smiled, then continuing to walk over to his seat that was about four or so feet from Mindy. 

   The camera crew began to count down and once they hit zero, the show began. Mettaton’s personality boomed and Mindy’s was close behind. 

   “Welcome everyone, to the premiere of Metta-Talks! I'm your host, the one and only Mettaton!”

   “And I’m Mindy, his lovely co host! Only for a little while though.” She said with a playful wink. 

   Mettaton laughed happily as the audience cheered and applauded. The duo began to talk about the topic of their first segment, but in your ears, the words just sounded muddled, you weren’t able to really concentrate on what they were saying. 

   After a few minutes, you heard a couple people a row behind you, whispering to one another. 

   “Hey, the two of them have really great chemistry, wouldn’t you think?”

   “Yeah, they seem really close.”

   “I wonder if they’ll start dating or something, that usually happens when new shows like this start up, right?”

   Your stomach knotted upon hearing those words, and they continued whispering.

   “Yeah, but isn’t Mettaton already dating that other normal human?” 

   “They’re probably already broken up or something, he’s the kind of guy who’s always dating around, I assume from the way he presents himself.”

   “True, true, I totally agr-”

   The pair’s whispering was cut short, and looking over to your right, you saw Undyne, on the other side of Alphys, flashing a death glare to the space behind you. Suddenly, you felt a scaly hand touch yours, that was rested on your lap. Shifting your gaze from Undyne, to Alphys, she had a sympathetic look in her eyes as she offered a hand to you. Pursing your lips, you took her hand and looked back in front of you, glad that she understood how you felt without having to explain it with words. 

~~~

   Fifteen or so minutes passed before the first commercial break, and once it started, the low hum of conversation filled the audience. Your eyes were glued to what was happening on stage, even though it gave you a rotting feeling inside. Mettaton was leaned in close to Mindy, reapplying some of her makeup. You wanted to throw up. 

   Finally able to somehow pull your eyes from them, you turned to the left, and you were now looking at Papyrus and Sans. Papyrus was smiling, going through his cellphone with a little stylus. You were slightly amused, remembering that Mettaton had once told you that Papyrus and his brother needed them, since they didn’t exactly have skin with which energy could pass. You shifted your gaze downward to Sans, and were a bit stunned to see such a concerned expression on his face. “Uh, Sans? Everything cool?”

   Without looking up to you, he muttered something.

   “What was that?” You asked, leaning a bit closer to him.

   “He didn’t do it.” 

   Furrowing your brow you responded. “What… does that mean?”

   He shifted his skull to you, locking his eyesockets with yours, saying your name in a serious tone. “Just… just trust me on this, and remember what I’m saying to you right now. He didn’t do it.” 

   You were going to open your mouth again, but the show was starting back up again, the ‘union regulated break’ (as Mettaton liked to call it) was over. You turned back to the stage where Mettaton was welcoming the viewers back. Who was Sans talking about, and what didn’t he do?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year, everyone! 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed yourselves! I know I did, I got a virtual smooch on the cheek.  
> As well as worked more on this horrible fic.
> 
> But uh, yeah, this sure was ... something.
> 
> ~~~~~~
> 
> Commissions: http://demisexualmettaton.tumblr.com/post/134990305170/demisexualmettaton-hey-guys-so-im-opening-up  
> 8Tracks Playlist: http://8tracks.com/koalolive/bookmarks
> 
> If you want talk about the fic or make any fanart or whatever, hmu! Ive changed my tumblr url to demisexualmettaton.tumblr.com, so, if you still end up going to koalolive, it should have a message to redirect you there!  
> But please, if you can, if you're going to tag or @ me, along with demisexualmettaton, please include koalolive with it, so that when I switch back, I'll still be able to find things with one tag! Also, tag it as 'undertale bookmarks' because thats helpful and what I tag all my stuff as.
> 
> Thanks for taking the time to read. If you have any general comments, critique, or suggestions, don't hesitate to leave a comment. I would really appreciate suggestions of any kind.


	29. Valentine's

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warning: Arguing

   The show's first season was a hit so far. Even though it had only been about a month, the ratings were skyrocketing past anything the MTT brand label had seen before. It was such a staple in the entertainment world, that even  _ other _ shows would discuss Mettaton and Mindy's dynamics, as well as current issues brought up during the show-- some being risque, some not-- adding a unique flair to the program.

   To anyone that asked you for your feelings on the show, whether it be on the streets, at work, or anywhere else for that matter, you had always answered with positive words. You would say how proud you were of Mettaton, elated that he was doing so well and gaining more and more popularity by the second. If anyone ever pushed to ask how you felt about Mindy, however, you told them that she was a lovely woman, and that you only had nice things to say about her. Of course, internally, you didn’t like her. It wasn’t even her personally, just... the idea of her, the idea of something, something that was pulling Mettaton away from you. It seemed as if he wasn’t around anymore-- well, he was, but it just didn’t feel the same. He was now busy every night of the week; Monday, Wednesday and Friday were dedicated to his original show, and now Tuesday and Thursday nights had been taken up by the new talk show. The evenings of you two just hanging out at one another's apartments had, practically, been long forgotten. You were able to see him on weekends and some Tuesday and Thursday afternoons after work, but he was just  _ so _ busy. But recently within the last couple of weeks, all of your plans had been falling through. It originally started one time before you had plans; he called to say he couldn’t make it because he was devising something big for the next show. Then, it escalated to a few  _ hours _ before you had plans.

   Then two.

      Then one.

         Then 30 minutes. 

   A few days ago, he just entirely didn’t show up, calling an hour into the casual ‘date’ you had organized, consisting of just sitting in your apartment, watching some cheesy rom-coms. He apologised profusely about how he ‘didn’t mean to forget,’ but he was working and ‘lost track of time.’ You had told him it wasn’t a big deal and that he should continue working; he believed and listened to you, and after saying a quick, ‘okay honey, love you, bye!’ the receiver couldn’t click down fast enough, leaving you sitting in silence with the phone to your ear.

   But, today was different. Mettaton had cleared his schedule for the entire Sunday so he could spend it with you. Although, it wasn’t just any old Sunday, it was a ‘double holiday’ as he called it, his birthday and Valentine’s day all rolled into one. 

   You wanted to wake up before him, so you could  _ attempt _ to make him breakfast, but he was somehow already awake when the alarm on your phone went off. Because, as soon as you turned it off and attempted to sit up, Mettaton’s arms coiled around your waist, pulling you close to him. 

   “Ah! Mettaton!”

   You heard him chuckle as he nuzzled his head to yours. “Happy Valentine’s Day, my love.”

   “Nooo, Mettaton, we agreed on your birthday first, then Valentine’s, remember?” you protested, attempting to shift your body to face him.

   He let go of you and let you turn. “I know, but I love you so much and just had to say it.” 

   Once facing him, you pouted. “How long have you been awake for?”

   “About 20 minutes, why?” 

   You sighed. “I wanted to get up and make you breakfast in bed for your birthday, to surprise you.”

   He chuckled. “But sweetheart, you can’t cook.”

   Puffing out your cheeks and pouting, you stayed silent, because he was right.

   Mettaton then placed a kiss on your nose, pulling you close to him, your bodies pressed against each other. “Do you know what I would  _ really _ like for my birthday?”

   Heat rose to your face as you stopped puffing your cheeks. “I-I dunno.”

   “Your love, my darling.” he cooed, gently pressing his forehead against yours. 

   “Y-You have my love every day, Mettaton.” you stammered. 

   This moment was perfect, it was the closest you had felt to Mettaton in a long time. You were so excited to spend the day with him, just the two of you, alone, together. But, as soon as Mettaton’s mouth opened to reply, there was a faint buzz from his bedside table. 

   Pulling from your grasp, he turned away, grabbing his phone, proceeding to sit upright and begin typing. 

   Was he serious? Was this really happening right now? Did he just pull away from a loving embrace to answer a text message? 

   You rolled your eyes and turned away from him, climbing out of bed. You took a deep breath. This was his half of the day, you were going to spend until 2 PM in birthday mode, making sure he was going to have the best time. You really wanted this to be special, so you just held your tongue, heading over to the bathroom, and attending to your morning routine. 

   After taking your pills, you exited the bathroom to see Mettaton setting down his phone, smiling toward you.

   “Oh darling, I just received a lovely text from a few of my employees wishing me a happy birthday! How sweet is that?”

   You smiled. “Yeah, it's really nice.” Making your way back over to the bed, you sat down beside him.

   “Darling, I’m so excited for my birthday this year, do you know why?” he chimed, leaning towards you a bit.

   “Hm… I dunno, why?” you asked curiously. 

   “Because this is the year I get to spend my first birthday with you, my dear. Having you in my life is a gift in itself. You make me so happy, and my life is going fabulously right now. I have my shows, I have you, I have all this fame-- ah, it's so much more than I could have ever dreamed!” He exclaimed, throwing his arms up into the air. 

   About to respond to him, you heard his phone buzz again. Yeah, great, way to kill the mood. 

   Mettaton leaned over and looked at the preview of the text before opening it. “Oh! And I’m also so, so happy to have Mindy in my life as well. She’s an absolute delight, my dear.” he said, opening up the text, then falling silent as he read it.

   You tried not to visibly show any type of emotion, but inside, you were disgusted. Why did she have to ruin everything? For goodness sakes, she wasn’t even  _ here. _

   Mettaton squealed as he typed his reply. “Oh my goodness, how nice she is, sending me such a long message. Ah, I don’t know what I would do without her as my partner, she’s so perfect-- well, not as perfect as  _ me _ of course, but you get what I mean.” he quipped, waving a hand without looking up from his phone.

   “Y-Yeah.” you replied, accidentally stuttering, but, he didn’t pick up on it, since he was so busy typing back to Mindy. Standing up, you went over to your overnight bag in the corner of the room, digging through it for your outfit. “Hey Mettaton, I'm gonna go change, okay?” You looked over to him as you made your way over to the bathroom, he wasn't even paying attention. Sighing, you locked yourself into the bathroom and put your back up against the door. 

~~~

   “Oh darling, all of these gifts have been absolutely wonderful!” Mettaton exclaimed, having opened presents all of your other friends had given him. From Papyrus, a handmade crop top that said ‘cool robot’; from Sans, a birthday card that said “Wow, You’re 3!” but had the 3 crossed out, with the ‘a nerd’ written in its place; from Alphys and Undyne, the first season of some anime about two kids, one with a metal body and the other with just a metal arm, (Mettaton chided that they were “trying to relate to him”), Toriel and Frisk, a hand-drawn picture of him and Frisk, covered in glitter, along with a small plate of brownies; Shyren, the first draft of her new album, and Napstablook, a small snail habitat, with a note attached that read, ‘to keep a piece of our family with you.’ 

   You smiled as you bit into your third slice of pizza. You had attempted to make Mettaton lunch, but it resulted in you almost setting his couch on fire, so, Mettaton just decided to order pizza. 

   “Alright, next present.” Mettaton said with a clap of his hands, picking up an envelope, unsure of who it was from. Watching him open it, stars pulsated in his eyes. “Oh my lord!”

   “What is it?” you asked curiously. 

   “Oh darling, Mindy got me two tickets for New York Fashion Week!” he squealed. 

   Your emotions were mixed; happy for him, sure, yet indifferent about the Mindy part. 

   “I just have to call her later and thank her.” He smiled, still looking over the tickets happily. 

   Standing up, you walked over to one of his bookshelves on the other side of the room. 

   “Where are you headed, sweetheart?” he asked, looking up to you. 

   “Getting your present, silly.” You replied, pulling out a portfolio case from behind it, and taking out a wrapping paper covered canvas from it. 

   “How did you get that in here?” he asked incredulously, a smile creeping up his lips. 

   “The other day I asked Napstablook to let me in so I could hide it.” You replied. “I was only in and out.” 

   “Aw, darling. That's adorable.” He smiled, putting a hand to his cheek in admiration. 

   You walked over with the rectangle that was about 20 by 24 inches. “Here, happy birthday, Mettaton.” You smiled brightly. 

   Mettaton took the rectangle and was very careful to unwrap it, and once he did, his eye met his own. Well, kind of. The gift you had given him was a stylized portrait of himself, and you had been working on it for the last few weeks. 

   You watched his face, his expression shifting from surprise, to awe, and then loving, a heart formed in his visible eye as he looked up to you. 

   He said your name, unable to find words to follow after it. Mettaton looked like he was about to start crying. 

   “Do… Do you like it?” you asked nervously. 

   “Like it? No, darling. I absolutely adore it. This is, this is absolutely amazing!” he said, smiling down at it. “Every single one of my features is perfect! How did you do this?” 

   “It took a lot of time, I messed up a lot.” you replied as you rubbed your arm sheepishly. 

   He set it down and beckoned you closer. As you took a step, he pulled you down onto his lap and showered you with kisses. 

   “Mettaton!” you giggled. 

   “Oh darling, I love it. And I love you! So so much!” he said, placing a final kiss upon your lips. “You captured my likeness so well.” His gaze shifted to the painting. 

   “Yeah. I'm really happy with how it came out.” 

   “What was the most difficult part of capturing my essence?” he asked curiously, tossing his hair a bit. 

   You pondered your response. “Oh um… I never seem to be able to get your jawline right That, and your nose sometimes.”

   “Well, nonetheless, you seemed to be able to figure it out somehow.” he chuckled.

   After he had replied, your phone buzzed in your pocket. Taking it out, it was the alarm you had set for 2 PM. 

   “Aw, is it Valentine’s already?” he pouted. 

   “You say that like it's a bad thing.” you replied, looking up to him. 

   “I'm kidding, I'm kidding.” he chuckled. “Alright, now get off me dear, so I can get your gift ready.” 

   “Wha-- gift? Mettaton, I don't need anything.” you replied. 

   “Oh nonsense, of course you do!” he chuckled, and since you hadn't moved, he picked you up and placed you beside him. Proceeding to stand up, he began to walk off. 

   A sigh escaped your lips. After he left, you stood up and started to tidy up, throwing away all the wrapping paper and setting all of his gifts aside. Moments after you finished that, you heard Mettaton call your name. Looking over, he was smiling sweetly from a hallway that you had never really noticed before. You walked over, curiously. “What's going on?” you asked. 

   Mettaton stepped behind you and put his hands over your eyes. “It's a surprise, sweetheart.” he cooed, then lead you down the strange hallway and turned your body to face something. 

   You giggled. “Mettaton~”

   “Alright, my dear. Happy Valentine's Day.” he said as he lifted his hands from your face. 

   Your eyes fluttered open to a closed door that had your name on it. Looking back at him, you furrowed a brow. “What is this?”

   “Open it.”

   Turning back to the door, you brought your hand to the knob and opened it. Inside the bright, open room was a drafting table, an abundance of art supplies, some cabinets, an easel, and some other things. Your head shot back to him. “I… I don't understand.” 

   “I thought you needed a studio space.” He smiled. 

   Looked into the room and taking a step inside, you looked around, tears finding their way into your eyes. You brought your hands to your mouth. 

   “Darling…”

   You turned to face him, pulling your hands from your mouth and wiping your eyes. 

   “Darling I want to apologize. For… well, for the past month or so.” he started. “I haven't had a lot of time to see you and I really wanted to make up for it. I love you dearly and I want you to know that.”

   Blushing, you nodded. 

   Suddenly, Mettaton’s phone started ringing. He took it out of his pocket, a small groan escaping his lips. “Give me two seconds dear, it's the studio, I told them not to call me unless it was an emergency.” 

   You nodded but he didn't see because he was already out the door. Looking around the room, you eyed the drafting table and sat down on the chair before it. What a weirdo, he really wanted to get this for your apartment, but it looks like he got it for you anyway. You slid a hand over it and started to think about the words Mettaton just said. 

   You were grateful that he apologized for most of his time being taken up by work, but something was kind of bothering you. The fact that he felt like he needed to make up for it. You would have accepted just spending time together to make up for it, but in place of that, was he giving you this studio room? Is that what was going on? Was he trying to  _ buy _ an apology? Buy your love? Did he think that just because he gave you this studio, that he could continue to keep blowing you off? Or were you just reading too much into this? Maybe you were. Maybe he just really wanted to give you this studio. It  _ was _ Valentine’s, after all.

   As you awaited his return, you explored a bit. Opening drawers, finding pads of paper and some inexpensive acrylic paint; because surely if he had gotten you more gouache, you would have killed him. There were also some nice paint brushes. There were canvases to go with the paint and easel as well. There were some smocks hanging on the wall, as well as some empty canvases he had hung, waiting to be painted. You opened one of the cabinets, finding clay inside. You giggled, remembering the one time you told him that you might like to try working with it again. All of this was just so thoughtful. 

   After exploring the room for about 10 minutes, you took a seat back at the drafting table and waited for your boyfriend’s return. But, five, ten, fifteen more minutes passed. Curiously, you made your way out of the room and down the hall toward his open living room. Even before you made your way around the corner, you heard him laughing. 

   You felt your heart sink and continued walking, seeing him laid across a love seat. His ankles crossed, resting on one arm of the seat, and resting his head on the other. He was laughing and speaking in a cheery tone to whomever was on the other end. 

   “Oh, Mindy, darling. You are too funny!” 

   It was almost as if Mettaton took his sharp, manicured fingernails, and was squeezing the life out of your heart. How could he do this to you? It was Valentine's Day for Christ’s sake. Taking a deep, staggering breath, you sat down at the normal couch across from him. 

   The two talked for another five minutes or so before they started to say their goodbyes. “Alright, beautiful, thank you so much for calling me. And thank you again for the tickets, I can't wait to go to New York!” 

   As he hung up, you were trying not to visibly show how irritated you were, so you took another deep breath. Honestly, with each deep breath you took, it seemed to be helping less and less. 

   Mettaton shifted his body, no longer laying across the loveseat, but now sitting alone in the middle of it. Sliding his phone back into his pocket, he smiled sweetly. “Sorry that took so long, sweetie.”

   “What was the call about?” you struggled to ask without an irksome tone. 

   He stood up. “Well, the studio called, and everyone passed the phone around to wish me a happy birthday. Then it got to Mindy and we ended up talking a tad too long.” he said with a chuckle, plopping himself beside you. 

   But as he went to put an arm around your waist, you felt your body moving on it's own, pulling away and standing up. 

   “Is… something wrong dear?” he asked, standing up as well. 

   “I just needed to stand up.” you replied quickly. 

   “Alright, well, since we’re standing, do you want to help me find a space on the wall to hang the wonderful birthday present you gave me?”

   “I guess so.” You said, not looking up to him. 

   “Well hold your enthusiasm.” he replied in a dejected tone. “Your mood shifted so suddenly, are you sure nothing's the matter?” He leaned down to try and peer at your face better, but you turned away.

   You stayed silent, not sure what to say to him. 

   “Well, nonetheless, let me try and bring your spirits up, darling.” he said, moving to wrap his arms around you. 

   You brought up your arms and shoved him back; not violently, but just enough to catch him off guard. 

   He took a step backwards, taken aback by what you had just done. “Sweetheart?”

   You took another deep breath, and it hardly helped at all. Looking up to him you pursed your lips before speaking. “Mettaton, you're … You're being kind of selfish right now.” you admitted. 

   “S-Selfish? What do you mean?” he asked. 

   Did he really not realize it? Was he so full of himself that he didn't realize what he was doing? You decided you might as well try to explain what was going on. “We agreed to split the day in half, the first half birthday, second for Valentine's Day. You just took half an hour to talk on the phone to people about your birthday, and right now is supposed to be the time for us to spend _ together _ . You said that it was only going to take a second, but it didn't.” you replied in an assertive tone. 

   “Sweetie, it was the studio, I couldn't just ignore them.” he replied. 

   “Yes you could have, you could have told them that you were busy and couldn't talk right now.” You didn't want to sound controlling or anything, he just promised you. He promised that today would be just you and him. It seemed like all he was doing lately was breaking promises. And making empty ones. Did he even have his promise ring on beneath his glove? 

   He replied, starting with your name. “I have an image to uphold, and that's very important for me. I mean, you wouldn't understand because you aren't  _ famous _ , like me. I also need to make sure that morale stays up in the workplace, so I took time to talk to everyone.” 

   You felt the heat in your body rising, but not for the reason it usually did when you were around him. His words seemed to burn you. On top of the disappointment you were feeling, his words were piling up, turning your feelings of sadness to anger, to almost rage.  “You just spent the last 15 minutes talking to Mindy, that wasn't everyone.” 

   He scoffed. “It's my birthday, she was wishing me a happy birthday and talking about me. I couldn't just cut her short, besides I love hearing people say good things about me. You know that. I thanked her for the birthday gift she gave me, you heard the conversation. I mean please, I know it's Valentine's Day, but it's my  _ birthday _ , the two don't really compare to one another.” 

   Did he just  _ scoff _ at you? He had crossed a line that you didn't know existed. You snapped back at him. “Well, you know what, Mettaton?” You turned away and headed to the front door, opening it. “Have a happy fucking birthday.” Proceeding, you slammed the door shut. 

 

_________________

 

   As soon as they slammed the door, Mettaton flinched in surprise. What… had just happened? What did he do to set them off like that? He had never seen them so angry. But he didn’t think he had said anything wrong. Surely he hadn’t?

   Plopping himself down into the loveseat, he furrowed his brow, attempting to work through his thoughts. Sitting there, he saw the painting of himself, all he wanted to do was hang it. He wanted to do it together-- have them help with their artistic eyes on where it looked best. 

   Reaching for it, he picked it up, and noticed a pink envelope flutter to the ground. “What is this?” he asked audibly, leaning down to pick it up. 

   On the front of the pink envelope was Mettaton’s name written in silver. 

   He carefully opened it, taking out a handmade card using, what he assumed was the gouache paints he had gotten them, to illustrate hearts surrounding a birthday cake. Opening it, he read the handwritten words inside.

 

         Dear Mettaton,

   Hi! Happy birthday! Oh, and Valentine’s Day, too! So, I know we haven’t seen much of each other in the last couple of weeks, but, I know it’s because you’re working so hard on both of your shows. And even though our communication has been a little stagnant, I just really wanted to tell you how much I love you, and how much I love having you in my life. I’m not sure how long we will stay together, but I really hope it's a long time, because I really believe that you’re the one I’m meant to be with for the rest of my life. (Sorry if that sounds really cheesy or creepy or something!) And, that being said, I don’t really know how old you are, or how aging works when you’re a monster/robot, but I hope we can figure something out, together. I love you, Mettaton, with as much love as my heart can give, I love you. 

               Love, 

                       Your Sweetheart

 

   As Mettaton finished reading the note, a small brownish colored dot appeared at the bottom. He brought a gloved hand to his cheek, wiping away the small beads of oil dripping from his eyes. 

  
   What had he done to upset them?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hahhahahahaha, so, if you hadn't noticed, Mettaton is kind of reverting back to who he was, you know, before he left the underground. Very self centered, tsk tsk, how dare he. 
> 
> Anyway, um, if any of you think there needs to be any other warnings at the beginning of this chapter aside from arguing, please let me know. 
> 
> Anyway, I really really need to thank my editor and very very close friend Mac for helping me with this. She's always able to help me with all my little grammar mistakes as well as any other mistakes I make in life. She even helped me think of what everyone gives MTT for his B-Day, so, thanks Mac!!! She means so much to me and I don't know what I would do without her. 
> 
> ~~~~~~  
> Commissions: http://demisexualmettaton.tumblr.com/post/134990305170/demisexualmettaton-hey-guys-so-im-opening-up  
> 8Tracks Playlist: http://8tracks.com/koalolive/bookmarks
> 
> If you want talk about the fic or make any fanart or whatever, hmu! Ive changed my tumblr url to demisexualmettaton.tumblr.com, so, if you still end up going to koalolive, it should have a message to redirect you there!  
> But please, if you can, if you're going to tag or @ me, along with demisexualmettaton, please include koalolive with it, so that when I switch back, I'll still be able to find things with one tag! Also, tag it as 'undertale bookmarks' because thats helpful and what I tag all my stuff as.
> 
> Thanks for taking the time to read. If you have any general comments, critique, or suggestions, don't hesitate to leave a comment. I would really appreciate suggestions of any kind.


	30. Why

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warning: Self Hate, Depression, Betrayal, Mild Suicidal Thoughts

   Sitting at the front desk at work, you quietly enjoyed the cool air conditioning that allowed you to escape the early summer heat. As you flipped the page of your book, you felt a small buzz in your pocket. You glanced up to see how many patrons were around-- not many on this late June afternoon-- so you took out your cell phone. 

      Mettaton.

   You pursed your lips, opening it and reading the contents. 

 

**Mettaton:** Sorry to be bothering you at work, but I leant you a sweater some time ago, a burgundy one, do you mind bringing it over when you can? 

   Your fingers quickly typed out a simple, one word response. 

**You:** Okay

 

   As you slid your phone back into your pocket, you sighed. Unable to concentrate on your book again, you slid a bookmark into it and closed it, setting it off to the side. Resting an elbow on the desk, you balanced your chin on your knuckles, starting to think about what had been going on with Mettaton and yourself for the past, oh, what was it… about, four and a half months? Yeah.

   After the events of Valentine’s Day, you had stopped talking to Mettaton, for about two or so weeks. You needed space and time to think. You had been fed up with his selfish behavior. For the first few days of not speaking to him, he would perpetually call and text you, but you wouldn’t answer; it then escalated to him contacting Alphys, and even Undyne at one point. You had told them to pass along the message that you were fine-- well, not  _ fine _ , but in good physical health. The two of you never broke up, no. It was just a break. You still loved him, you were still  _ so deeply _ in love with him, you just... needed some space. Once you had taken those couple of weeks to think things over, you had started talking to him again, but on your end, there was not as much passion, not as much admiration as there had been before. And, after having calmed down about the whole thing, you had wanted to at least be civil about the situation. 

   Still, even though the two of you had started texting again, every response was still so scattered; he was so busy working, even busier than before, since his talk show was increasingly climbing the charts of success. Everything had just dwindled down to necessities and small talk, like ‘how are you today?’ and ‘how was work?’, and that wasn’t what you wanted. What you wanted, more than anything, was for him to take some time to  _ actually  _ talk to you about what was going to become of your relationship. He was always gone, always busy, always conveniently unable to hold a real conversation and communicate. You didn’t want it to twist and turn, eventually morphing into another ‘Jarred’ incident; things being left unsaid, and having some kind of monster form out of manipulation; out of wretchedness. 

   But that didn’t happen. The two of you did, however, seem to slowly start texting more, but from the awkward small talk developed something remnant of an acquaintance, or a roommate-- well, on  _ your  _ end at least. He would attempt to woo you, saying sweet nothings like ‘I love you’ and ‘you light up my life,’ alongside other captivating and endearing things, but you could only bring yourself to respond with ‘mhm’ or ‘thanks.’ Your mind was telling you that you weren’t as interested as before, that you deserved better than this and you should leave while you had the chance, but yet, your heart was yearning to be with him; to feel his gentle touch on your skin, and hear his laugh resonate through the walls. With your last ounce of conviction, slowly, over the past four months, you were rebuilding what you once had. Of course, the only reason it was going so sluggishly was because every bit of communication was reduced to texts. Marvelous.

   Thinking of that, your cell phone buzzed against your leg again. You fished it out, Mettaton again. 

 

**Mettaton:** I’m sorry if I’m bothering you again, but, are you free on Saturday?

   What? What was he asking? You furrowed your brow and replied.

**You:** Why?

   You didn’t even have a moment to slide your phone away before another message.

**Mettaton:** It’s been too long, there have been too many things left unsaid. I want to sit and talk to you, about us. I’ll make you some dinner, and we can just sit and chat. I’ll make you your favorite. 

   This was it, this is what you had been waiting so long for. Mettaton had finally set time aside for the two of you, so you could talk. No amount of sudden irony could ruin this for you now. You found your mouth forming a soft smile as you typed out the first text in a long time, that  _ wasn’t  _ a one word response. 

**You:** I would really like that, Mettaton. 

**Mettaton:** Great! I’m arriving back in town from filming on location that day, so, when my plane lands, I could come pick you up?

   Without thinking, you responded quickly.

**You:** Of course!

   No! You didn’t want to sound eager about this. Oh gosh.

**Mettaton:** Fantastic, I’ll see you then! XOXO

 

   You exhaled the breath you didn’t know you had been holding. But, this was finally it, you were finally going to be able to talk to Mettaton about everything, and you were hopeful that everything was going to work out for the better. 

   You were filled with DETERMINATION to make this right. 

~~~

   Waving goodbye to your monster co-worker that was taking over after your shift ended, you headed down the street towards your apartment. You had a bit of a skip in your step as you did, more cheerful than you had been for a long while. In light of recent events, you were now quite optimistic about the near future.

   When you and Mettaton stopped talking, you had become accustomed to listening to music as you walked home, so you pulled out your headphones to start, but a bright flash interrupted you. 

   Looking over, you saw a small crowd of paparazzi make their way over to you, and you were extremely confused (and a little ticked,) as to why. As the small group rushed to you, all of them were talking at once. You put up your hands to keep them at bay, furrowing your brow to try to make out the synopsis of their clamoring. “Woah, woah, woah, excuse me, what the hell is going on?” you asked quickly. 

   One of them spoke up, hushing the group. “What’s your opinion on what has happened today?”

   You rose a brow. “Um, what are you talking about?” 

   The group exchanged glances of nervousness, bewilderment, and a few other mixed emotions. 

   “Are you saying… you don’t know?” one of them asked.

   You looked at all of them, your face clearly reflecting your cluelessness. 

   One of the paparazzo reached into their bag and pulled out a tablet. “I can’t believe I have to be the bearer of bad news...”

   The paparazzi would never come to  _ you _ without something going on with Mettaton, and you had only been texting him about four hours ago. “Wait, is something going on with Mettaton?” 

   No one said anything as the paparazzo handed you his tablet. 

   You paused before taking it, eying it with apprehension. Reaching a hand out, you grasped it tentatively, taking it into both your hands. Your eyes shifted down to what was on the screen, and even though the sun’s shine was blinding, you could see what was on the tablet in vivid detail. The headline read “Coin Operated Boy Toy,” and your insides balled up tightly. You didn’t want to scroll, but you found your fingers moving on their own. Beneath the headline was a series of pictures, Mettaton and Mindy were holding hands as they got out of a limousine, heading to a room of a motel. Mindy was pressed up against Mettaton in another. In another, they were embracing, and the last, she was leading him into the room. As you scrolled a bit lower, there was a series of selfies, selfies taken by Mindy, in some she was in lingerie, lying in bed with a powered-down Mettaton, and another she was topless. 

   You breath staggered and your whole body trembled. Emotions swirled in your chest-- agony, fear, rage. Quickly, you shoved the tablet to the paparazzo who had given it to you and shoved your way through the small crowd. You ran toward your home as fast as your legs could carry you, and with reckless abandon, when you got to the fork in the road, you ran to cross the street. A car you failed to see beforehand screeched to a halt, causing you to stop yourself and fall back, your butt hitting the pavement. The driver yelled at you out his window and continued driving. Continuing to run home, your own voice screamed inside your head, 

   ‘I should have let the car hit me.’

   Finally getting to your apartment, you fumble with your keys, trying to unlock the door through vision blurred by the pricks of tears, and once you do, you slammed the door behind you. As it did, you leaned your back up against the door, eyes wide, your whole body trembling. Your hands found their way to your mouth, but you were unable to cry, there was a huge lump in your throat, you felt like you couldn’t breathe. You tried to gasp for a breath, and once you did, you slumped all of your weight against the door, sliding down to your knees and the floodgates opened. You started sobbing, anguish filled cries escaped your mouth, there was no stopping it. 

   Why, why, why, why, why? What had you done to deserve this twisted nightmare? Surely you would wake up any minute, right? 

   No, no no, this isn’t right. Things were just about to get better. You were hopeful, you thought everything was turning up for the better, you thought that you and Mettatton were going to work things out, you thought you were going to be happy again, you thought he wanted to be happy again, you thought he wanted to be with you. 

 

   You thought he loved you. 

 

~~~

   You weren’t sure how much time you spent crying against your door, but hearing a knock against it, you opened your eyes to find the room filled with, what used to be midday sunlight, now with the warm orange hues of sunset. You felt anything but warm. Panic filled your body, thinking that it was Mettaton, and your crying quickly turned to hysterics. 

   The voice that spoke from the other side of the door wasn’t Mettaton, but due to your panicked crying, you couldn’t tell who it was. They said something along the lines of ‘calm down’ and ‘please let us in.’

   You spent a decent while longer just sobbing, and eventually found out the voices belonged to Alphys and Undyne. They spent their time outside your door, talking to you about anything but the current situation, anything but the bullet of information that had shot you in the heart. Finally, after what seemed like hours, you found yourself persuaded to open the door for them, letting them in as you continued sobbing. 

   Hearing Undyne ask something along the lines of ‘do you need a hug?’, you threw yourself into her arms, sobbing into her chest. As you bawled, she wrapped her arms around you and you felt Alphys’ arms wrap around you from behind as well. Somehow, their embraces calmed you down, your tears stopping and your breath staggering to even breathing. But, you soon realized it wasn’t their hugs; you were all dried up, your tears were completely dried up, there was no more water left in your body.

   For the first time all evening, you were able to comprehend words.

   “H-Hey, I-I brought my laptop, w-we could watch something, g-get your mind off things?” Alphys stuttered. 

   You could only nod. 

   Momentarily, the three of you got situated on the couch, and you curled into a ball, your eyes staring at the laptop screen atop your coffee table, but whatever was there, you didn’t really have interest in. You just sat there, your eyes glazed over, dull and grey in disposition. For hours, you cried away everything-- you were a shell of a person; absolutely empty. But, in that emptiness, every bit of negativity then filled you. 

   Everything was your fault, you did this to yourself. If you hadn’t gotten so mad at him, the two of you never would have spent so much time apart, this would have never come about. You hated yourself, you hated everything, this was all your fault. All of it, everything was your fault. 

   Your breathing staggered and you buried your head into your knees.

   After a few moments, you felt a webbed hand on your shoulder, and raising your head, you locked eyes with Undyne. 

   “Hey, do you want us to stay the night?” she asked.

   You shook your head, wanting to be alone. 

   “Okay, well, are you sure you’ll be okay here by yourself?” 

   You nodded. 

   “W-We’ll stop by tomorrow, o-okay?” Alphys stuttered, standing up from the couch and getting her laptop. 

   You nodded again. 

   “Let us know if you need anything.” Undyne said, removing the hand from your shoulder. 

   As you nodded, you watched the couple wave and walk out the door, leaving. Not realizing it until now, you felt the pressure in your head increasing; your head was pounding. You winced a bit, knowing that your splitting headache was from being dehydrated, but didn’t have the motivation to do anything about it. You didn’t even want to get up from the couch, and you proceeded to lie down.

   You thought you had only closed your eyes for a brief second, blinking, but when you opened them, it was already morning, sunlight pouring in from your living room windows. Turning your body away, you shifted to face the back of the couch, not wanting to give yourself the pleasure of eating breakfast. 

   All you could feel was disappointment. Yes, you were disappointed in Mettaton, but you felt so much more disappointment in yourself. How could you have done this? How could you have trusted Mettaton so easily? And after everything that happened with Jarred… why were you so trusting of people? Of course this happened again. Of course it did.

   Suddenly, you felt your phone going off in your pocket, and assuming it was Alphys or Undyne, you pulled it out. It wasn’t. It was  _ him _ . You quickly swiped to ignore the call, seeing that there were 12 other missed calls from him, and 36 text messages. As you went to delete them, the phone started going off in your hand again, and you declined it immediately. Just as quickly as you hung up, he was calling again. In a fit of rage, you sat up and threw it as hard as your arm would allow, at the wall. The wall cracked; it spidered up in a straight line. 

  
   Wasn’t that where you and Mettaton put your hand prints?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So much for a pacifist route.
> 
> I tried my best not to spoil the events of the chapter with the content warnings, and also, if any of you need anything added, let me know and I'll add another warning ASAP.
> 
> (How come some of you guys are shipping me with my editor?)
> 
> ~~~~~  
> Commissions: http://demisexualmettaton.tumblr.com/post/134990305170/demisexualmettaton-hey-guys-so-im-opening-up  
> 8Tracks Playlist: http://8tracks.com/koalolive/bookmarks
> 
> If you want talk about the fic or make any fanart or whatever, hmu! Ive changed my tumblr url to demisexualmettaton.tumblr.com, so, if you still end up going to koalolive, it should have a message to redirect you there!  
> But please, if you can, if you're going to tag or @ me, along with demisexualmettaton, please include koalolive with it, so that when I switch back, I'll still be able to find things with one tag! Also, tag it as 'undertale bookmarks' because thats helpful and what I tag all my stuff as.
> 
> Thanks for taking the time to read. If you have any general comments, critique, or suggestions, don't hesitate to leave a comment. I would really appreciate suggestions of any kind.


	31. Explanations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warning: Character with PTSD (Not sure if this needed a warning or not, but I felt the need to put it anyway), Mentions of No-Mercy Route, Mentions of Suicide, Mentions of Character Death, Arguing, Self Hate, Lots of Glitching, Violence
> 
> This chapter is also in 3rd POV

   “H-Hey, d-do you want something t-to eat?” Alphys asked.

   They looked over to their lizard friend who was looking at them nervously. Before they had time to respond, others chimed in with suggestions.

   “How about some spaghetti?” Papyrus chimed.

   “Or I could perhaps make some pie?” Toriel asked hesitantly, standing back up straight from picking up some scattered clothing.

   Undyne spoke up. “I’m not sure those are good ideas, they… haven’t been able to keep anything down.”

   Sans sat beside them, rubbing a bony hand on their back. “Something light would be best, soup, saltines, tea.” 

   Rain was pouring on the window pane outside, reflecting how they had been feeling for the past few days. They glanced over to Sans, nodding with what he and Undyne suggested. 

   “Please, let me take care of it.” Toriel said softly, excusing herself to the kitchen. 

   They were still looking at Sans, whose eye sockets seemed empathetic for some reason.

   After a while, Toriel brought them some soup and they slowly ate it, nodding their thanks, no signs of any emotion other than numbness. They hadn’t said anything in days. 

   “D-Do you need anything, b-before we head out?” Alphys asked. 

   They shook their head, sipping the soup gently. 

   “Shoot any of us a text if you need anything, alright bud?” Sans said, putting a gentle hand on their shoulder. 

   They nodded.

   “I am going to go ahead and take your laundry home with me to do, is that alright with you?” Toriel asked, holding the basket.

   They nodded. 

   Everyone said their goodbyes and left the apartment, leaving them alone once again. 

   As the group solemnly navigated down the hall, Sans leading the way, he abruptly stopped before going down the stairs.

   “Sans, what the hell?” Undyne called bitterly, being the one behind him and bumping into his back.

   He looked back to his friends with a very nervous expression, one that was very unlike him. “Guys… I can’t do this;  _ we _ can’t do this… we… we need to go somewhere and talk. I need to tell you something, really,  _ really _ important.”

   “Is everything alright, Sans?” Toriel asked in a concerned tone.

   “Just… we need to go somewhere private.” He replied, starting down the stairs. 

   “Isn’t our home the closest, Sans?” Papyrus quipped as they all made it to the 1st floor. 

   “Yeah… yeah, there is good.” He said, pulling his hood over his skull as he stepped first into the rain. He glanced up to the sky, desperately hoping it wouldn’t be a thunderstorm; for their sake.

   The five soon made it to the small home that Papyrus and Sans shared, all of them ultimately sitting down at the dining room table. Everyone noticed that Sans suddenly looked really disheveled, nervously tapping his foot on the floor as everyone sat. 

   “Okay, Sans, what the hell is going on?” Undyne hollered, slamming her first on the table slightly. 

   Alphys quickly grabbed her hand. “C-Calm down.”

   Sans took a breath and attempted to begin explaining. “So… this… this may be hard for you guys to understand…” He started.

   “Just spit it out.” Undyne snapped, obviously on edge due to everything happening with her friends, and also because of Sans’ sudden shift in behavior.

   “I can’t!” He snapped back. 

   Everyone in the room kind of flinched, never really seeing this side of Sans before. He was trembling, his eye sockets were wide (they were more than often half-lidded), and he was gripping the sleeves of his sweatshirt.

   Papyrus reached out a hand and rubbed his brother’s back gently.

   Sans took a deep breath. “Okay, okay… so… there is a theory, i-in quantum physics, about how whenever you make a decision, another reality, universe, timeline, whatever, is made.”

   “Y-You mean, t-the many-worlds interpretation?” Alphys asked.

   “Exactly. So, this theory, it’s… to an extent, it’s true.”

   Alphys rose a brow. “What? Do you have proof of-”

   He suddenly cut her off, standing up violently from the table and slamming his fist a bit on the wood. “Because I  _ live it; _ it happens to me at the end of the timeline, or whenever someone ‘resets’ the whole thing.” Sans snapped. 

   “Calm down, Sans. It’s okay.” Papyrus replied, cautiously reaching a hand to him.

   “Sans… what do you mean? I am not sure I fully understand what it is you are trying to explain.” Toriel said softly, a mixture of fear and concern painted on her face. 

   Sans took another deep breath. “There… there have been endless timelines similar to this one, overlapping and occurring parallel to this one, but for some reason… I… I’m the only one who can seem to remember everything, from each one. A-And for some reason, it… it all has to do with Frisk falling underground.” 

   “Frisk? What do they have to do with this?” Undyne asked.

   “I-I don’t know… I’m not saying they’re the cause of anything. Not at all!” He rose his voice in more of a concerned tone, rather than an angry one. He sat down, overwhelmed, and it took a moment for him to continue. “B-But… there are timelines where Frisk does all of the same things as they did this time around, but others… others where they…”

   “Where they what, Sans?” Papyrus spoke up.

   “W-Where they…” He grimaced. “ _ Kill. _ ” Sans choked out, almost in a whisper. When the words escaped his mouth, he trembled more, and his left eye started to faintly glow blue, out of fear. Papyrus quickly wrapped his arms around his brother to console him. 

   It took a little while for him to calm down and be able to speak again. 

   “Sans… what does this have to do with what’s going on now? With our friends?” Undyne asked, getting back to the topic at hand.

   “Well… there… there are other instances with the timelines. For example, when things happen to the people that Frisk is closest to.”

   “W-What kind of t-things?” Alphys stuttered.

   “ **_Bad_ ** things, really bad things.” He paused and took another deep breath. “So… there are a couple timelines where the two of them get together, but, well, they all ended up the same way. Really, r-really bad.” 

   “I think we get the picture Sans, you don’t have to keep explaining.” Undyne said.

   “No, no, you guys have a right to know… so, um… well, everything happened the exact same way, all up until they found out, you know, about what happened involving Mettaton. And… things continued the way they are now, but… they got a lot worse.” 

   “H-How worse?” Alphys asked, apprehensively.

   “They… they couldn't take it, their emotional and mental health just went to the shitter, because they put so much faith into Mettaton, only to be deceived by what the tabloids said about him. It’s mainly because, well, they never told us this, but, they had put a lot of faith into someone in the past, and well, things didn’t end okay. So, after what happened with this other person, and then believing all the lies about Mettaton… they…” Sans tried to take some breaths again, but he soon started to hyperventilate. Papyrus wrapped an arm around his brother, trying to comfort him in any way he could. 

   More time passed and Sans was finally able to choke out what he was trying to say. “They killed themself.”

   The group hung their heads, as if to mourn their fallen friend in another life; another timeline. A few moments of silence, and Alphys spoke up, wiping a tear from her eye.

   “W-What happened… t-to Mettaton?” 

   Sans’ head shot up, and he quickly responded in a gravelly tone. “He went Neo.” And as he did, his glowing eye was set ablaze. 

   “N-N-Neo?!” She exclaimed. Now Alphys began to hyperventilate, tears streamed down her face as she panicked. “N-No, no, n-not Neo!” Alphys began to sob, her girlfriend’s arms around her as she did. One of Alphys’ biggest regrets in life was building Mettaton’s Neo model; it was something she never thought he would activate himself, either. Her breathing staggered as her thoughts shifted to her dear friend. This was never something she wanted them to go through, never did she think that sending Mettaton to a library to pick up books for her, would ultimately end in something as horrible as that. She clenched at her lab coat in desperation to try and stifle her sobs.

   Once everyone calmed down, Sans tried his best to keep his composure as he told the rest of the story. “So… Mettaton was so distraught, by both the fact that they didn’t trust him enough, and… and their death, that… he went Neo, and those feelings amplified and he... went on a citywide rampage. He… he blew up buildings, killed hundreds of civilians, and that’s when…”

   “T-T-That's when… w-what?” Alphys asked through her tears.

   “The… the military came. They… they shut him down for good.” Sans said, hanging his head.

   “No! No, no, no!” Alphys cried out, crying into Undyne’s chest. 

   Aside from Alphys’ wails, the room fell silent for a long while. Everyone was reflecting on what had happened in the reality different from their own, thinking about how it could end up the same, horrible way.

   Toriel spoke up, softly. “What are we to do?”

   “We…” Sans lifted his head. “We can’t directly interfere, we just… we have to give them gentle nudges. I already kind of started.” 

   “What do you mean, brother?” Papyrus spoke, now letting go of him.

   “Back in January, I gave them some really vague advice, so that should count for something. They’re a really clever kid, so…” He chuckled dryly. “I really hope they’ll remember soon.”

   Sniffling, Alphys spoke up. “W-W-What else do we do?”

   “Mettaton… Mettaton is too scared to do something about it, he’s filled with so much self-hate because they don’t trust him, but we just need to keep pressuring him to talk to them.”

   “But you just said gentle.” Undyne replied. 

   “You can’t gently push a vending machine to let go of it's loose snacks Undyne, you need a bit more force than that.” 

   Suddenly, Toriel was filled with a fit of giggles. “O-Oh my goodness gracious, I am so sorry, but what you just said was very amusing, I could not help myself.” 

   But Sans had said it that way on purpose, trying to make a joke of it to lighten the room, as well as his own mood. 

   Undyne laughed a bit. “Alright, alright, so we just gotta get the bag of bolts to talk to them, right? Confront the whole situation?”

   Sans nodded in agreement. “Yeah, then I think everything might go okay.”

   “Might?” Undyne furrowed a brow.

   Sans nodded again. “Only time will tell.”

~~~

   The robot sat motionless on his bed as he stared off into nothing. His train of thought finally came to an end; he knew what he was going to do. He just sat there, and waited. Waited and waited, thinking about how easily he was deceived and how much of a horrible monster he was. Soon, low battery icons flashed in his eyes, but he didn’t move. He just sat there, letting his battery run out. 

   The room went dark.

   But, it was only dark for a short while, much shorter than he anticipated. He knew Alphys would have probably come and found him or something, so he had his argument ready. As his vision cleared, it wasn’t Alphys’ face he was met with, but his cousin’s. 

   “M-Metta?” 

   Blinking his eyes a few times, he furrowed his brow. “Blo-Blooky, what a-are you d-do-doing?”

   “Y-Your battery died out... So I plugged you back in.”

   Mettaton quickly brought a hand to the back of his neck, feeling his charger. He promptly pulled it out. Damn it.

   “Didn’t you... know it was going to die?”

   “I-I d-di-did, tha-that’s why I-I-I didn’t p-plug myself i-i-in.” He replied, emotionless and glitchy.

   “...What?” 

   Mettaton rose his voice, ever so slightly. “I-I di-did it on p-pur-purpose.”

   “But… why?” They asked.

   His voice rose more. “W-Why? M-My life i-is in sh-sham-shambles!”

   “...Metta, I don’t think-”

   “N-Napsta-bl-blook, y-you don’t have a-a say i-in any of thi-this!” 

   “...But-”

   “B-B-But nothing! J-J-Just leave! N-Now! I-I-I don’t ne-need you looking a-after me! I’m an adult! I should be able to look after my own goddamn self and I can’t even do that!” Mettaton was yelling now, his glitches left for a brief moment, but as he began crying, they came back at full force. “I-I can’t d-do an-any-anything r-r-r-right! W-W-Why did I-I-I-I have to s-sab-sab-sabotage my own l-li-life li-li-like that?! E-Ev-Everything w-w-was go-go-going p-p-perfectly a-a-and now it-it-it's all gone t-t-t-to sh-shi-shit!”

   He then buried his face into his hands, oil proceeding to soak into his gloves as he cried. 

   An alarmed Napstablook looked on as Mettaton wept. They looked over him, unsure what to do. He was clearly disheveled, not having done exterior maintenance in days-- hair unkempt, and no sign of makeup. Suddenly, they noticed the belt at his waist, where his soul was kept; it was so dim it was almost black. The ghost quickly floated from the room, making their way to the nearest phone. 

   After a while, Alphys burst through the doors in a frazzled state. “M-Mettaton! Napstablook had told me you were trying to drain your batteries?!”

   Mettaton had stopped crying but that didn't mean he wasn't holding back tears. Because he was-- his eyes told one story as he glared off the side in a steely gaze; his lips, however, were quivering. He hugged his knees, looking away from her, unable to meet her eyes. 

   “M-Mettaton, talk to me, why did you try to drain your batteries?” The lizard asked. 

   The robot, unneedingly, drew in a sharp breath. “Everything… would be so much better if I just wasn't around, Alphys. I… I'm so ashamed with what I've done, so… so I decided to just let my batteries die out.” 

   “M-Mettaton, f-for as long as I've known you, all you've done is run away from your problems, y-you need to just… face them head on.”

   The robot turned his head and opened his mouth to snap a response, but quickly shut it. His jaw clenched tightly. He couldn't face his problems. He just couldn't. They were too great. 

   Able to read his emotions, she spoke. “Mettaton, p-please, you need to just… stand up and-”

   “Alphys, I can't!” He snapped, getting to his feet. “How the hell can I get up and try to deal with my problems if they won't even take a moment to listen to my side of the story?! This time, this  **_one_ ** time, I thought I found them, I thought I found one person who was able to understand me, who I would finally be able to tell everything to.” He fell to his knees, stretching his arms out in front of him. “And now all I can do is watch them slip from these fucking metal fingers.” He clenched his fists as he began crying again. 

   Alphys scurried over to him, kneeling down, rubbing his back to console him as he cried. 

   He began talking through his sobs. “F-For the first time, in my entire existence, I-I finally found someone who sees me for me. W-Who sees me for an actual person, not some sex toy, o-or a publicity boost, that they would support my dreams. I-I… I thought they would stick by me whether I be a box or a beautiful manbot, but this had to happen, they… they won't even trust me, hear what I have to say... my side of the story.” He was once again taken over by his sobs, oil streaming down his face. 

   As Alphys continued to rub his back, her mind raced. This was not good, she needed to act, and fast. They needed to reconcile soon or else things were going to start getting bad-- really bad. She took a breath and spoke softly. “M-Mettaton, I-It’s only been a few days, okay? W-We’ll give them a little bit of time to calm down, a-and get them to talk to you.”

   The robot’s head shot up. “No!”

   “W-What? Why?” 

   “I don’t ever want to see my own face again! What makes you think that they, in a million years, would EVER want to see me again?!” 

   She paused. “B-Because… they love you, Mettaton.” 

   “L-L-Love?! Oh no they don’t, not anymore! Not after the stunts I pulled.” He said, raising his voice and getting to his feet. “I-I-I treated them so poorly, I neglected them, I… I trusted that horrible, vile woman... but no, no, I’m not saying it's all her fault, though she needs to take some of the blame. No, it’s my fault, I’m the one mostly at fault here.” His breath started staggering as his voice grew to a yell. “I did this, I-I took their love and compassion and took it for granted. I-I neglected them, I-I made so many empty promises!” His groaned angrily and clenched his fists.

   “M-Metta, c-calm down.” Alphys tried to intervene, reaching a gentle claw up to him.

   “No! D-Don’t tell me to calm down! I’m so disgusted with myself!” He jerked his body away from her. “Maybe I  _ am _ just a hunk of metal without a heart!” He was fuming, steam emitting from his body as his eyes glowed a deep shade of crimson. Suddenly in his fit of rage, he took one of his fists and punched the nearest outlet he could find. 

   Electric pops filled the room and they were shrouded in darkness as Mettaton’s body fell limp, crashing to the floor. Alphys rushed to his aide. He had shorted himself out. Alphys quickly examined him, making sure that nothing important had been damaged, and exhaled in relief. He only needed some minor repairs. 

   Taking out her cellphone, she quickly called Sans to come help her take him to her lab. She would have called Undyne, but she was busy making sure that their friend wasn’t starving themself. 

   Eventually, the skeleton showed up, and using what magic he had, he helped Alphys get Mettaton to her lab, where she fixed him up and plugged him into another charger.

   Alphys sat there, looking over his unconscious body as she spoke aloud to herself. 

 

         “Please, Mettaton, please don’t go Neo.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, this was a heavy chapter, but very very important.
> 
> I hope the content warnings were okay, I'm not sure if this chapter needed more, but please let me know.
> 
> So now ya'll can stop asking "What didn't he do" Because its right here, Mettaton didn't cheat on Reader
> 
> Thank you, to the lovely Senseimac for editing this chapter with me. It was a lot of fun doing so and I'm so happy to have you in my life! <3
> 
> Okay I have one really important thing to say, you guys. So, I've come to recently find out that my fic, Bookmarks, has come to be the inspiration for some of my readers to write their own Mettaton/Reader fics. I am so ELATED to come to find this out, like really, I'm so happy! But, there's one thing that kinda makes me a bit uncomfortable ... I (and my editor) have taken a lot of time to think about headcanons for little details about Mettaton and they way he works. For example; his birthday falling on Valentine's Day, the fact that he is very glitchy when he wakes up in the morning, ect. and I for one, love that some of you like my little things enough to put them into your own fics, but I would at least like a bit of credit if you're going to reference my fic for ideas to write yours. So please, just credit me, I get kind of paranoid that people want to copy my fic, seeing as how it's already happened two times before this. Thanks so much for listening!
> 
> ~~~~~  
> Commissions: http://demisexualmettaton.tumblr.com/post/134990305170/demisexualmettaton-hey-guys-so-im-opening-up  
> 8Tracks Playlist: http://8tracks.com/koalolive/bookmarks
> 
> If you want talk about the fic or make any fanart or whatever, hmu! Ive changed my tumblr url to demisexualmettaton.tumblr.com, so, if you still end up going to koalolive, it should have a message to redirect you there!  
> But please, if you can, if you're going to tag or @ me, along with demisexualmettaton, please include koalolive with it, so that when I switch back, I'll still be able to find things with one tag! Also, tag it as 'undertale bookmarks' because thats helpful and what I tag all my stuff as. ALSO, YOU GUYS DON'T NEED TO ASK ME IF YOU CAN DRAW FANART, I WILL OPENLY ACCEPT ALL OF IT!!!
> 
> Thanks for taking the time to read. If you have any general comments, critique, or suggestions, don't hesitate to leave a comment. I would really appreciate suggestions of any kind.


	32. Damage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warnings: Arguing/Verbal Fighting, Yelling, Accusations

   It had been almost two weeks since you had gone to work, and heard about what happened, so you thought it was time to at least try to go back. You sat at the front desk, just sitting there, staring at your hands. Specifically, you were staring at the promise ring on your finger. Why hadn’t you taken the damn thing off yet? A reminder of what could have been? You sighed softly and glanced up to look around the library. Your eyes met a patron and they quickly looked away. They were just looking at you, what if everyone else was staring at you? Looking at little, pitiful you-- the human that got cheated on by a celebrity. What were they thinking? What were they going to say to others? What had everyone been talking about since it happened? Your anxiety took over, occupying your thoughts. 

   It probably didn't help that you also hadn't taken your medication the last two weeks either. As a result, you often laid awake with pangs of worry eating away at you. 

   Your eyes anxiously darted around the room and you bit your lips nervously. Your eyes welled with tears and you didn't know how to stop yourself from crying, so you proceeded to bury your face into your hands. You sobbed quietly and tried to calm down, but the tears were ceaseless. 

   A moment later, you felt a hand upon your shoulder, and you shot your head up. It was Winnie looking at you with a worried expression. You wiped your eyes quickly and tried to steady your breathing. 

   “Dear, go home, please.” She said calmly. 

   “N-no, I need to stay here a-and work. I haven't come in for two weeks.” You stammered. 

   She shook her head. “It's okay, I can take care of it. Please go home and take care of yourself. I don't want you to get sick by pushing too hard.” She softly gripped your shoulder. 

   “B-but…”

   “ _ Please _ .” She begged.

   You hesitated before nodding, grabbing your bag, and sulking out the door. You headed for your apartment, planning on just heading to bed as soon as you got there, even though it was only 10:30 in the morning. 

~~~

   You were stirred awake by the sound and vibrations coming from beneath your pillow. Groaning, you reached under and picked up your phone, squinting as you tried to see who was calling you so late. It was 1:45 AM, but in all fairness, you  _ had _ been sleeping since 11 the previous morning. 

   Bringing your phone to your ear, you groggily answered. “I'm not dead, Alphys.”

   “T-That's good to hear, b-but it's not why I'm calling.” She stammered. 

   If that's not why she was calling you so late, then what else was going on? You climbed from your bed, flipping on a light switch and moseying your way over to your sink to get some water. “Okay-” you were cut off by a yawn. “Then what is it?” 

   “I-I need you to hear me out, okay? M-Mettaton wants to come over t-to talk to you, a-and you need to listen to what he has to say.”

   As soon as his name escaped her mouth, you dropped the cup you were about to fill onto the floor; your face went red, out of both embarrassment and anger. “I-I think he's made it very obvious that he doesn't like me anymore, I… I don't need him to explain it to me.” You tried to take some deep breaths to calm yourself down. Mettaton was one of the last people you wanted to see. 

   “O-Oh jeeze, no, please. J-Just let him talk to you. O-Okay?” She pleaded. 

   Why did she want you to see him? What good would it do? All it would do, was put to light that the two of you were no longer in love. Or, well, that he was no longer in love with you. You inhaled quickly and slowly exhaled. “Okay… fine, sure, whatever. But at two in the fucking morning? Really?”

   “H-He said he couldn't wait any longer. B-But he’ll be over soon!.” She responded in a bit of a happy tone. 

   You pursed your lips before replying. What was she so chipper about? “Okay…” 

   Talking another deep breath, you tried to stay calm but began to panic slightly. Why did you say yes? Why on earth did he want to see you? He was the one who cheated on you! Did he want to tell you he was sorry? Did he want to lie and say he didn't do it? Did he want to put everything behind, leave it in the past, and become friends again? Your mind proceeded to race as you changed out of your pajamas and into something at least a little bit more presentable. 

   You waited around your apartment for a while, and around 2:10, there was a buzz, wanting permission to enter the building. Pulling yourself from your couch, you buzzed him up. You leaned yourself against the wall beside the door until you heard the faint rapping against the wood. Opening it, your eyes were fixated toward the floor; you were unable to look at him. You dreaded what he was going to say to you, but you braced yourself for anything he was ready to hit you with. 

   Swallowing hard as you watched his feet pass through your field of vision, you choked out, “W-What do you want?” 

   There was a pause before his robotic voice spoke. It had been such a long time since you heard it. You missed it. “Why… why won't you believe that I didn't cheat on you?”

   Your response was quick and abrupt. “Because that's a lie.”

   “Dar-” he stopped himself from saying ‘darling’ and said your name. “This whole thing has… has just been one huge misunderstanding.”

   Your eyes shot up to him, glaring, your blood immediately started to boil, your mouth contorted into the shape of a scowl. “Misunderstanding?! W-Was it a misunderstanding when you made me empty promises? W-When you blew off our dates?!” You yelled. 

   Every emotion, every feeling you had over the past few years began to pour out of you. You were  _ sick _ of letting people walk all over you,  _ sick _ of how weak you’d become after Jarred,  _ sick  _ of always being a pushover and a crybaby, and above all, you were  **_sick_ ** of being manipulated by every person you’ve ever shown the slightest bit of compassion to. 

   This ended now.

   Mettaton’s voice didn't rise to match your volume, but stayed soft. “I didn't mean for any of that to happen, my work took over, I was so invested with the show and-”

   “Yeah, yeah, the show, the show, your  _ precious _ talk show!” You cut him off. Suddenly, thinking of it's premiere, and his empty promises, you looked down at your ring. You quickly brought your right hand to it and hastily began to pull it off. 

   “W-Wait.” Mettaton spoke. 

   Your head shot up to him, his expression distraught. 

   “Oh please!” You yelled. “Yours was off way before this! Did it even mean anything to you?! You promised you would always be here for me, and look where it’s got us!”

   “I didn't mean to-”

   “Didn't mean to?!” You snapped, throwing the ring to the floor (ending up god knows where), and you continued yelling. “Once you were invested in this show, you hardly ever gave me the time of day, you made me empty promises that you would make time to see me. But no, it was always Mindy, Mindy, Mindy! Mindy this, Mindy that, oh did you know that Mindy is so beautiful and amazing? Whatever!! Oh, I bet you two are  **_so_ ** happy together, her all over you, pressing up against her, taking nude selfies in dirty motels all over the country!” 

   Metatton's voice rose, but not as loud as yours was. “Wait a moment! Listen to me! Her and I were, yes, in the same motel room, but we had separate beds! And once I powered down in the evening, she climbed in with me and took those photos! I had no idea she did. And when I woke up, she was all over me! I promptly pushed her away, assertively telling her that I was with you!”

   “Oh, that's bullshit and you know it!” Your hands clenched tightly into fists. 

   It seemed like tears were bubbling in Metatton's eyes, but you didn't care; you didn't care how many straws he was trying to grasp for. You were completely ready to sever all ties with him, no matter how much it hurt. 

   Mettaton lowered his volume and took a breath, saying your name sternly. “I don't know how to explain it to you any other way,” his tone changed, to that of sincerity. “I didn't do it.”

   You went to open your mouth but stopped. Those words seemed familiar. Like a far off, distant memory. Standing there, you tried to remember, when it suddenly hit you. 

   ‘He didn't do it.’

   Sans’ voice rung through your head. He knew everything. Somehow. But he did, he knew everything. 

   You trusted his words and you were suddenly taken over by a typhoon of emotions; regret, distress, fear, dread, woe, the list continued. Your breathing staggered and tears filled your eyes as you stared at this robot before you. Tears trickled down your cheeks as your lips quivered. In no louder than a whisper, you whimpered “I'm sorry.”

   You saw Mettaton’s mouth open to say something as the tears rolled down your cheeks, but you didn't want him to see your face. You were so disgusted with yourself, so upset that you didn't realize until now. Quickly turning away, you opened the door of your apartment and rushed down the stairs. 

   As you rushed, you heard Mettaton call out your name, asking what was wrong, but all you could mutter through your tears was, “I'm sorry.” You rushed down the four flights, nearly tripping with every step you took, but you just kept going. 

   Opening the door of the building, you were met by a strong gust of wind, forgetting that Undyne had mentioned a huge storm was coming, due to it being hurricane season. But, you proceeded anyway, barefoot, and rushed down the front steps, stupidly running forward into the street. 

   You saw headlights, and your eyes squeezed shut, bracing yourself for impact, but not before you felt a hand grab your wrist, pulling you back. His arms were wrapped around you, embracing you tightly against his body. Your breathing was still staggered and tears were still streaming down your cheeks. 

   After a moment, Mettaton abruptly let go of you, probably expecting you to yell at him or something, but you only lifted your head to meet his gaze. 

   You started sobbing, and as you did, attempted to say ‘I'm sorry, what have I done?’ and ‘You didn't do it’ but it just sounded incomprehensible through your bawls. You lowered your head into your hands and wailed, falling to your knees in the middle of the sidewalk, in front of your apartment building, at 2:30 in the morning. 

   You hated yourself for what you had done. If you could go back in time and prevent this whole thing from happening, you would. You couldn't believe that you were unable to trust Mettaton's word alone, needing evidence or something to back up his claim. It disgusted you to no end, all you wanted was for this all to go away, for you to pick up where you left off, for everything to be right again. But you knew that wouldn't be able to happen. You knew that there was practically irreparable damage to the two of you. 

   Before you noticed it had started raining, Mettaton quickly got you to your feet and rushed you to the door of your building, the two of you standing in the doorframe. 

   You took deep, staggering breaths and forced to compose yourself. Looking up, Mettaton was gazing down at you, nervousness and worry painted his face. 

   You opened your mouth to say something, but were cut off. 

 

          Thunder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep ... The Big Conflict.  
> It happened.  
> Here it is.  
> I'm sorry it might seem kind of short, but, everything that needed to happen, happened. So, I feel like the length is appropriate.  
> So the whole fight was semi-inspired by the song Mine by Taylor Swift, like, the verse about the fight? Y'know. Haha
> 
> ALSO CONGRATS ON 30K HITS EVERYONE! <3
> 
> Okay, so, I know all of you are very eager about my fic, but please do not ask me when the next chapter will be updated. I know when I first started it, there was an update practically every single day. But, I'm back at school now, and my schoolwork takes priority over my fic writing, so, I'm sorry to say, that Bookmarks may only be updated once a week, depending. That does not mean, that I'm dropping it, not in the slightest. I still have some pretty big plans before it ends, because I anticipate that it could go up to as much as 50 chapters. So, please have a little patience.
> 
> I wanna thank my lovely editor, Mac, for helping me with this chapter. She's always so helpful, gives me amazing little ideas to push the chapters further, and is just an all around, amazing human being. L.u.v. you, Mac! <3
> 
> Oh! So, on tumblr, I've started drawing my interpretation of reader and have begun to do some cute doodles of reader and Mettaton together! If you would like, please take a look! Even if you don't have a tumblr, you can request some scenes for me to draw if you would like!  
> Here is my interpretation of reader: http://demisexualmettaton.tumblr.com/post/137560160305/demisexualmettaton-a-simple-doodle-of-how-i-see  
> Here is the cute scene before Mettaton glitches out in Chapter 8 (You can also see the list of requests I already have): http://demisexualmettaton.tumblr.com/post/137560208385/demisexualmettaton-alright-first-doodle-done
> 
> ~~~  
> 8Tracks Playlist: http://8tracks.com/koalolive/bookmarks
> 
> If you want talk about the fic or make any fanart or whatever, hmu! Ive changed my tumblr url to demisexualmettaton.tumblr.com, so, if you still end up going to koalolive, it should have a message to redirect you there!  
> But please, if you can, if you're going to tag or @ me, along with demisexualmettaton, please include koalolive with it, so that when I switch back, I'll still be able to find things with one tag! Also, tag it as 'undertale bookmarks' because thats helpful and what I tag all my stuff as. ALSO, YOU GUYS DON'T NEED TO ASK ME IF YOU CAN DRAW FANART, I WILL OPENLY ACCEPT ALL OF IT!!!
> 
> Thanks for taking the time to read. If you have any general comments, critique, or suggestions, don't hesitate to leave a comment. I would really appreciate suggestions of any kind.


	33. Hell

   As the thunder cracked, your eyes squeezed shut out of reflex and your whole body tensed, even more than it already was. Swallowing hard as you opened your eyes, your gaze immediately met Mettaton’s; his expression read scared, worried-- not for himself, but for you. Taking a deep, staggering breath, you tried to organize your thoughts and emotions, but to hardly no avail. The only conclusion you could come to, was that you were terrified, but of what more? The thunder, or having to answer to Mettaton’s inevitable questions? Another crack boomed. Your only response was to immediately start sobbing and hug yourself. 

   You heard Mettaton’s voice speak to you, softly. “Come on, let’s… let’s get you upstairs.” Feeling one of his arms wrap lightly around your shoulder, he began to gently usher you inside. 

   Once back up to your apartment, Mettaton continued to guide you over to your couch, lightly sitting you down. All you could do was sit there and cling to yourself, too overwhelmed by every bit of emotion coursing through you at a million miles an hour. Too overwhelmed with everything you were thinking about. Too overwhelmed to actually run and hide with the following crack of thunder. Too overwhelmed with every variable on your mind, but because of this, you were alert, somehow  _ able _ to comprehend what was going on. Even your tears subsided.

   Mettaton must of had your personal space in mind, because he sat in the seat across from you, rather than on the couch beside you. Your eyes were fixated on his belt, the soft glow that emitted from the heart shape. His soul was in there, his soul was in there and you hurt it. Not physically, no, but you had done some pretty irreparable damage to it. You hated yourself for what you had done, not trusting his own words. You wished you could go back to the beginning of all this; believe him from the start. How were you going to fix this? How was--

   Your thoughts were cut off by a loud sound, but it wasn’t thunder, because suddenly the room went dark around you. There was a power surge, causing the electricity to go out. Slowly, as your eyes adapted to the darkness, you suddenly remembered what Mettaton was afraid of-- power outages. Tearing your eyes away from the heart on his belt, you looked up to his face and were completely stunned by what you saw. Mettaton sat there, stiff and emotionless, his visible eye wide with fear. It was an expression you had never seen him make before, and it terrified you; he was petrified and helpless. With all your might, you pulled yourself to your feet, stepping over to the robot. You timidly reached a hand out to his face, as you spoke up gently. “M-Mettaton?” You fingers reached his cheek.

   Ice cold.

   His face remained unchanged as as you pulled your hand from his cheek; he continued to stare straight ahead and his body was trembling. It was then that you noticed the color of his iris had changed to a pale blue hue. 

   Flinching when the thunder roared again, you took a sharp breath in and exhaled slowly. You leaned down so your face was level with Mettaton’s, taking his head into your hands, and moved his hair out of the way so you could look into both of his eyes. Swallowing hard, you spoke to him. “M-Mettaton, please… I… I’m right here, I… I know you’re scared, I’m scared too... but… you need to try and stay grounded.” 

   After a few moments, he blinked his eyes, and his pupils focused on you, almost like camera lenses. His expression finally changed, but only slightly-- his face was still dripping with distress, but his eyes were screaming; screaming, ‘please help me.’

   Pulling your hands from his face, you brought them to his as you stood up straight. “C’mon.” You spoke softly. 

   He listened, getting to his feet, following you as the both of you went over to your bed, the one you had been sleeping in less than an hour ago. Letting go of his hands for a brief moment, you climbed onto the bed and rested your back up against the headboard. Mettaton quickly and silently followed suit, sitting close to you. 

   As you both got settled (or as close to settled as you could), you took Mettaton’s hands into your own, they were frigid. Looking up to meet his gaze, his visible eye was still blue, but darker than before. Squeezing his hands softly in reassurance, you spoke gently. “Mettaton, everything is going to be alright. I’m right here a-and I’m not going to leave you.”

   A single oily tear dripped from his eye, rolling down his cheek and you brought a hand up to wipe it. As you did, his eye’s hue shifted to a shade of indigo, it seemed like he was slowly coming back to reality bit by bit. Once you pulled your hand away from his face and brought it back to the hand it was holding prior, he finally spoke up.

   “Dear… I-I know you say that, but I’m just…  _ petrified _ .”

   You responded by squeezing his hands gently.

   More tears rolled down his cheek. “My battery is low as it is… I-I don’t know when I’ll wake up. I don’t know  **_if_ ** I’ll wake up!” The robot’s voice hitched as he cried more. 

   “Hey, hey. Mettaton, don’t think like that, everything-” You had put your guard down to try to console Mettaton, but that’s when a deafening crack seemed to split the earth. You felt your heart leap up into your throat, and shut your eyes tightly, pulling your hands away from his, you squeezed them to your ears, squealing in fear. 

   A moment later you felt Mettaton’s hands on either side of your face, and opening your tear filled eyes, your gaze met his. He spoke your name through his tears as you pulled your own hands from your ears. “Shhh, it’s okay, I’m here. Dear, you’re… you’re so strong. I-I’m astounded with how composed you are, acting so brave through this storm for the both of us.” He used his thumbs to wipe away your tears. 

   Reaching out with a shaky hand, you wiped away his. As you did, there was a loud crackling sound; another power surge. Due to it sounding vaguely like thunder, you shivered in fear whilst in your panicked state. At the same time, you felt Mettaton’s hands on your cheeks shiver as well, and you heard small static pops come from his chest. It was in that very instance that you realized you were both the same, you were both scared in this moment, you both needed each other's help. 

   Mettaton unneedingly cleared his throat and pulled you from your thoughts. He pulled his hands away from your face and bit his bottom lip gently, his eye glancing between you and his lap. He gently took your hands and spoke softly. “Dear, I… I know there may be no way for you fully forgive what I’ve done to you, but… I want to apologize to you. I’m sorry I was so selfish, not thinking of how you felt during all of what happened months ago. I’m sorry I made so many empty promises to you, and I’m sorry I broke so many. I’m sorry I let the fame get to my head, reverting back to the way I was before coming to the surface. I’m just so sorry, for-”

   Another loud crack of thunder cut off Mettaton’s speech, your body tensed and you tore your hands away from his, holding yourself tightly, tears bubbling. 

   “It’s okay, it’s okay, I’m right here.” He spoke, wrapping an arm around your shoulder. 

   Swallowing hard, you opened your eyes and looked up to him. “W-What were you saying before?” You wanted him to keep talking, you needed to hear what he had to say.

   Mettaton looked down at his lap as he spoke. “I… dear, I realized how bad I had been treating you, and in all that time, you never once spoke up about it, you were there for every moment of it, sticking by my side even though I was being such a neglectful boyfriend.

   “I mean, I really,  _ really _ hate to say this, but, what happened with trusting this horrid woman, it… it opened my eyes, I was blinded by my fame, seeing my name in the neon lights just looked so appealing that I lost sight of more important things,” He shifted his head, meeting your gaze. “ I lost sight of you.” 

   You swallowed hard, not sure how to respond, but you didn’t need to, because he continued talking. He shifted his gaze back to his lap.

   “I realized how deeply I actually cared for you. Dear, finding you was one of the best things that has ever happened to me. You understood me, I could tell you anything without fear of ridicule or judgement.  You saw me for me, as an actual being, not as some robot sex toy, or a publicity boost to rise you to fame. You supported my dreams, you kept me grounded, much like you are right now. 

   “And, when you wouldn’t listen to me, it tore me to pieces. I thought I had finally found the one person who would stick by me, whether I be a little, boxy, calculator-like robot, or a glamorous man-bot. I was so scared you would never get to hear my side of the story, that I would lose you forever.” He turned his head back to you.

   Looking to him, a slow stream of oil was running down his cheek. Swallowing dryly, you reached up and wiped them away. Looking into his eyes as you began to think about his words, you noticed his eye was an orchid purple hue. You had never known that you had meant so much to him. You had never stopped to think that Mettaton would have had his own insecurities, thinking that he was this amazing, over-confident robot. All this time, you were positive that _ you _ were the burden in the relationship, that  _ you _ were the one with all the flaws. Yet, even if he seemed so flawless at first glance, it didn’t mean that he didn’t have his own demons lurking beneath the surface. It turns out that the two of you had actually, somewhat, balanced each other out.

   Pulling your hand away from him, thunder roared through the sky and you pulled into yourself once more. You felt Mettaton’s arm wrap around you a bit more. Wiping your face with your hands, you smelt the oil on them. Then, you heard a new sound, a weird beeping noise. Opening your eyes and looking up, you saw a low battery symbol flashing it Mettaton’s eye. 

   Once his eye went back to normal, he was once again, frozen in fear, and his iris reverted back to it’s icy blue color from earlier. 

   “M-Mettaton.” You said nervously.

   He didn’t budge. 

   You pulled from his gentle grip, moving to your knees, and putting his head into your hands. Glancing at your hands, they were trembling violently in fear, for both your and his sake. Shifting your gaze back to him, you moved his hair out of the way and placed your hands on either side of his face. “Listen to me, i-it’s gonna be okay. I’m right here.”

   Leaning up, and shifting his head downward a bit, you placed a soft, reassuring kiss on his forehead. “I-I promise you, I’m not going to go anywhere, I-I’m going to stay by your side. No matter how bad the storm gets, I-I’ll stay right here, w-with you, okay?” 

   You looked back into his eyes, but they weren’t focused on you. Swallowing hard, you leaned up and placed another strong kiss to his forehead, then leaned back down, looking into his eyes. “I-I’m going to stay here, a-and as soon as the storm lets up, a-and I get phone service, I’m going to call Alphys to help, a-an-and I’ll get you charged up, a-and you’ll be back b-before you know it.” As you said this, your voice was breaking, and tears rolled down your cheeks. You didn’t want to see him so scared, all you wanted was to see him smile.

   He nodded, but still wasn’t focused on you, staring off into the distance. 

   Exhaling and sitting back down, you tried to make yourself comfortable and calm down a bit, but another crack of thunder split the air, causing you to jerk and screech out in fear.

   You then felt Mettaton’s arms wrap around your waist and pull you close to him. Looking up, he was still staring off, straight ahead. Turning your head away, you stared ahead as well, trying to take deep breaths and calm yourself down, but that’s when you felt Mettaton’s hand. He slowly began to trace shapes with his index finger over your waist. He was so terrified, and yet, he was trying to calm you down-- well, that and trying to distract himself. After a moment, you shifted your body, clinging to his ever so slightly. You wanted to do your best to make him feel safe. 

   The two of you sat there, embracing one another, with Mettaton’s finger tracing shapes along your waist, you attempted to decipher them. It seemed like he was continuously tracing what seemed like a star-esque shape. Star after star after star, then suddenly, there was a heart. 

   Once he finished the single heart, dragging his finger a bit slower than when he made the stars, you felt Mettaton’s arm go limp, his hand draping lifelessly against your waist. You felt your mouth go dry and looked up to his face. His eyes had shut and his head was leaned back, resting against the headboard. Taking a deep breath, you held onto his body, snuggling closely to it, for both your and his safety. 

   A few more moments passed before there was another crack of thunder, and you proceeded to bury your face into him, but you hardly had a second to breathe before there was another one. Hyperventilating and clinging to this cold, lifeless, robot shell, you felt your heart beating in your ears, in this moment, you wanted nothing more than to spring from the bed and hide in your closet, but you would have never been able to forgive yourself if you left Mettaton alone. You would have been guilty for the rest of your life. If you were going to give your relationship another shot, you were sure as hell that there would never be another broken promise. 

   Ever.

 

~~~

   After what felt like an excruciating lifetime, you cried and clung to Mettaton during the worst of the storm, that probably only lasted an hour or so. You never fell asleep, well, more like you forced yourself to stay awake. When the storm had weakened, you felt your eyelids grow heavy ever so often, but you toughed through it. At one point, you even hit your head against Mettaton’s chest plate to stay awake; it hurt, but worked. The storm completely subsided by dawn, and you clung to Mettaton’s body as you stared at the screen of your phone, you sat in agonizing wait for you to get phone service back. The very second you did, you called Alphys, and as soon as your heard her sleepy voice, you were frantic, gibberish escaping your lips. She had told you to calm down, and it took you a few minutes, but you did. You explained to her what happened with the power outage and Mettaton shut down and that you needed help. She tried to ask you if the two of you made up, but you snapped at her, telling her that this wasn’t the time or place to be thinking of that, that you needed her help to get Mettaton. You apologized for snapping at her. 

   So now, you were currently in Alphys’ lab, sitting in a chair beside Mettaton who was lying on a metal table, hooked up to a super charger. Alphys and Undyne had gotten to your apartment as quickly as they could, still in their pajamas. Undyne lifted Mettaton with ease and carried him all the way to the lab, which was a 20 minute walk. Once arriving, Alphys had Undyne set him on the table, and the small scientist hooked him up to the giant charger. 

   You looked him over, and even though he was a pristine robot, he looked disheveled. Maybe it was his lack of makeup? Or the messy hair? You shook your head, that didn’t matter now, what mattered was that he was safe and he was charging. Thinking of that, you wondered when he was going to turn back on. He had been charging for nearly four hours now, and this was Alphys’ industrial charger for him. 

   Suddenly, you heard the little boot up noise from his speaker. Alphys had told you that once you heard it, to go get her, but you forgot about that. Your eyes were glued to him, watching his body slowly reanimate. You watched his eyelashes flutter open, and he blinked his eyes a few times. It seemed to take a moment for him to realize where he was, and once he did, he turned his head to face you. 

   A gentle smile crept across his face. He spoke to you in a soft, glitch-filled voice. “Y-Y-You l-look like h-hell.”

   You smiled back, softly.

 

   “So do you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOOOOOOOOOO!
> 
> Finally! To wrap up the conflict arc~ I know it took me a while to upload, but I'm back in school and have a shit ton of work. So, expect this kind of schedule I guess. *shrug emoji*
> 
> Yeah, even I cried when I was going over it with my editor. Thanks again to the darling SenseiMac for being such a wonderful editor. 
> 
> Also, if you're going to critique my work, please make sure its on the most recent chapter, not chapter 1.
> 
> ~~~~  
> If you want talk about the fic or make any fanart or whatever, hmu! Ive changed my tumblr url to demisexualmettaton.tumblr.com, so, if you still end up going to koalolive, it should have a message to redirect you there!  
> But please, if you can, if you're going to tag or @ me, along with demisexualmettaton, please include koalolive with it, so that when I switch back, I'll still be able to find things with one tag! Also, tag it as 'undertale bookmarks' because thats helpful and what I tag all my stuff as. ALSO, YOU GUYS DON'T NEED TO ASK ME IF YOU CAN DRAW FANART, I WILL OPENLY ACCEPT ALL OF IT!!!
> 
> Thanks for taking the time to read. If you have any general comments, critique, or suggestions, don't hesitate to leave a comment. I would really appreciate suggestions of any kind.


	34. Fireflies

   “Darling, put that garbage down, I thought we’ve moved past all that.” You heard a familiar robot voice say to you.

   Looking up from the magazine you were skimming, Mettaton was looking at you from across the table with a scowl. You rolled your eyes and picked up a buttered piece of cinnamon-raisin toast. “You don’t control me.” You replied in a playful tone, biting into the toast. 

   It had been about a month since the horrible power outage, and the two of you had been slowly working on trying to regain something similar to what you once had. You weren’t sure what to call your current ‘relationship;’ you guessed the both of you were still ‘dating’ if the paparazzi asked, but you still… weren't. 

   Mettaton had cancelled his talk show completely-- no chance for a reboot. He decided to kind of merge it with his other show, having a small talk show-like segment attached to it. He did it to make more time for you, and you were happy. In addition to cancelling his show, he fired and filed a lawsuit against Melinda “Mindy” Herring for sexual harassment and won; $50,000. 

   That’s what he was telling you to put down-- a magazine with a small blurb on the cover. It had a very unflattering picture of Mindy with a headline that read ‘Where is she now?’ You had no idea where she was, and frankly, didn’t care. You were just happy that she was out of the both of your lives. But, you weren’t specifically looking at that article in the magazine, you were looking at two opposing articles, talking about Mettaton’s lawsuit against her, and the incident as a whole. One article believed him, that the whole thing was Mindy’s fault, and the other didn’t, saying that he really did cheat on you. But, you listened to him, proceeding to close the magazine and hand it to Mettaton, who was holding out a hand to take it from you. He took it and proceeded to toss it over his shoulder. You giggled as you took another bite of the toast, licking the crumbs from your lips as you set it down. 

   For the last month, Mettaton and yourself made it a goal to have brunch and spend the day together, once a week, no matter what was going on (usually landing on a Sunday). So, that’s what you were doing. Showing up not even 15 minutes ago at 11, Mettaton had made, once again, an amazing spread of food like he did every week. 

   “Next week, you should make pancakes.” you spoke up, after swallowing.

   “Dear, what do you mean ‘next week?’ There’s a stack of pancakes sitting right in front of you.” he said, gesturing a gloved hand to the restaurant-quality pancakes sitting amongst all the other food. 

   “I know, I just really love your pancakes, so make them again. Oh wait, but this time, make them into shapes.” You grinned.

   “Shapes?” He cocked his head.

   “Yeah, y’know, like stars and dinosaurs, or something.” You said, sipping a glass of juice.

   “Oh I know, I’ll make some in the shape of my face!” he exclaimed.

   You playfully rolled your eyes.

   He scoffed. “Oh, you did  _ not _ just roll your eyes at me.”

   “And what if I did?” You smirked.

   “No pancakes at all.”

   A gasp escaped your lips. “You wouldn’t.”

   “I would.” 

   You began giggling, and Mettaton followed suit. This is what you liked, the joking, the playful banter. It reminded you of how things used to be, and how it would hopefully be again, even if it did take a little time. 

   “So, dear, what would you like to do today?” he asked, sipping a cup of coffee.

   You put a finger to your chin, you knew there was something you had in mind, but couldn’t remember what it was. “There  _ was  _ something I wanted to do… but I forgot.”

   “Take your time.” he said with a smile.

   “Oh! There’s this really cheesy rom-com that I found on Netflix that I think we should watch.” You smiled. 

   “Sounds like a plan.” 

~~~

   So, that’s what the two of you did. After you both finished eating and cleaning up, you sat on the couch and got settled to watch a movie or two. But, as it happened, one or two movies turned into three and a half. It wasn’t until halfway through the fourth movie that an outside force brought both you and Mettaton back to reality; Blooky. They coincidentally showed up when the movie was paused and you were just getting back from a quick bathroom break. 

   Not realizing they were there as you walked out of the bathroom, you spoke as you were looking down, smoothing out your shirt. “So, let’s find out if Elizabeth ends up going to the-” looking up, you saw Napstablook floating there in front of Mettaton. “Oh! Hey Napstablook.”

   “Hello.” they smiled timidly. 

   “Blooky just told me they finished up some of the new tracks for their collab album with Shyren.” Mettaton gestured with a hand.

   “Oh! Cool.” you smiled.

   “Would.... would you guys mind listening? I… need some second opinions.” 

   Mettaton stood up, picking up the CD case that was sitting on the coffee table. “I’d love to, what about you, hun?” he asked, glancing over at you.

   You shot the both of them a thumbs up. 

   Mettaton proceeded to make his way over to a stereo system and slid the CD into the slot. The room began to fill with some soft 8-bit music.

   Your first instinct was to lie on the ground, so that’s what you did. Shifting around a bit, you put your hands underneath your head to cushion it, and shut your eyes. A moment later, you heard a chuckle and opened an eye. Mettaton was looking down at you, covering his mouth to stifle his laughter. 

   “What?” you asked.

   “Nothing, nothing.” He waved a hand dismissively. “Just thinking about the last time you did this. Remember, you fell asleep?”

   A giggle escaped your own lips. “Yeah, I remember that. Don’t worry, it won’t happen this time.” you responded as you shut your eye again. 

   “Sure.” Mettaton teased as you heard him lie down on the ground with you.

   Once the few tracks finished playing, you opened your eyes and sat up, glancing over to the small ghost that was slowly rising from a lying position. “Wow, Naps, this is really,  _ really _ good. Tell Shyren I really like it.” you said with a smile.

   “Oh, really? I’ll tell her.” They smiled back. 

   Mettaton (who was already standing), offered a hand to you and you took it, getting to your feet. As you did, you heard Napstablook call your name softly. Turning, you asked, “What’s up?”

   “Um… I wanted to know if… you could be my permanent album artist? If not, it's fine… I can find… someone else…”

   It took a moment for you to comprehend what they were saying, and once you did, your eyes went wide. “Wait, really? Me?” 

   They nodded. “And… Shyren and I agreed that we… would really like you to do our collab cover too… And Shyren would really like you to do her cover as well… for her album coming out in November… I mean if all of this is okay with you… if not-”

   You cut them off. “Oh my gosh, Napstablook! I would be honored! Really, this means so much that the both of you think so highly of my stuff.” you exclaimed, bringing your hands to your mouth. This was moving you to tears. 

   The small ghost beamed. “I’m gonna go tell her the good news.” they smiled, floating down and phasing through the floor. 

   You had waved goodbye, and once gone, you jumped excitedly. “Wow! This is so great.”

   “Indeed it is.” Mettaton spoke from behind you. 

   Turning on your heel, you saw the expression on his face was happy, but also a bit surprised. 

   “Did you know about this?” you asked, putting your hands to your hips and tapping a foot.

   “No, I swear.” He raised his hands defensively. 

   “Alright… if you say so.” you replied, looking over to a clock on the wall. “Oh wow, it's already quarter past six.” glancing back up to Mettaton. “I should get going. I have some freelance stuff to work on.”

   You turned around to go pack up your things and heard Mettaton reply. “Oh, alright. By the way, would you like to take home some of those leftover pancakes?”

   “Heck yeah I would.” you exclaimed as you packed your things into your backpack. 

   Once Mettaton finished putting the leftovers into some tupperware, he handed it to you and you stuffed it into your backpack as well. Slinging it over your shoulder, you made your way to the door and he followed after you. Smiling up to him at the door, you said, “Hey, I had a great time today. Maybe next Sunday we can finish that movie.”

   “Right…” he responded, his eye glanced away.

   “Something wrong?” you asked, tilting your head. 

   Still not looking at you, he started with your name, “Would you… like to go out with me on Thursday night? For dinner?” he asked, and finally looking at you, he continued. “It’s been around a month so… I figured I would ask you.”

   Thats right-- when the both of you made up, you thought it would be best not to try and jump into the whole ‘romance’ thing again, but rather just sit back and see where everything ended up. You pointed out that it might be a good idea to not go on any dates or anything like that for at least a month. Truth was, you were low-key ecstatic that Mettaton was asking you, but you couldn’t let him know that. 

   “Oh um, sure. Why not?” you smiled. 

   “Fantastic!” Mettaton exclaimed. “I’ll text you the details, alright?”

   Nodding, you opened the door. “Yeah, sounds like a plan.”

~~~

   Before you knew it, Thursday evening had arrived. Mettaton had arrived promptly, exactly on time, but you had an inkling that he had shown up early and just waited till exactly the right moment to buzz your apartment. The both of you walked (arm in arm) to a cute little restaurant at his end of the city. Up until the date however, you were anticipating that it wouldn’t go all that well, that there would be weird lulls in the conversation and awkward silences. But, the night was going off without a hitch. The two of you had an amazing time out, talking, laughing, having an incredible time together and genuinely enjoying one another's company. 

   It was now time for dessert, and the both of you awaited the arrival of two slices of strawberry cheesecake. 

   “So dear,” Mettaton started. “how have things been going with work? Your freelance I mean, not the library.”

   “Oh, well…” you paused a moment, thinking about what you were working on. “I don’t really have much going on now. I’m finishing up an illustration for this really cute monster, he’s going to give it to his boyfriend and propose soon.” 

   A bright smile spread across his lips. “That’s absolutely adorable.”

   “Isn’t it?” you agreed, then fished for your phone in your bag. “I actually think I have a photo of the work in progress.” Looking through your phone, you found it and held it up to him. 

   Mettaton took the phone from your hand gently. “Oh wow, darling! This is adorab- wait a moment... No. Way!” 

   You tilted your head to the side. 

   “It’s my old employee! Burgerpants!” Mettaton exclaimed.

   You paused a moment. “Oh, I thought he looked kind of familiar. I couldn’t quite place it.” In all honesty, you had attempted to block out memories of around the time when you and Mettaton were starting to drift apart. No wonder you didn’t remember the cat monster. 

   “Such a small world~” Mettaton chimed as he handed you back your phone.

   Taking it back, you slipped it into your bag where it was before, and as you did, your desserts came. A gasp came from the robot sitting across from you as the waiter set down the plates. Looking down at the slice of cheesecake sitting before you; it looked decadent. Just, the most beautiful slice of strawberry cheesecake you had ever seen in your life, and sitting atop it was a huge strawberry. 

   “Darling, just look at this, oh my lord!” he exclaimed, taking out his phone and snapping a photo to probably put on Instagram. 

   You smiled and pierced the tip gently with your fork. 

   Mettaton did as well, bringing the piece to his mouth. A heart formed in his visible eye as he ate, and as he chewed, you heard his muffled voice from his speaker on his chest beneath his slick button-up. “Darling, have I ever told you how much I adore cheesecake?”

   “No, but I think you’re going to tell me now.” you said in response, taking your first bite; it was as delicious as it looked. 

   Mettaton’s muffled voice continued from his speaker as his mouth was busy taking another large bite of the cake. “Well, I love it. I do have to say that out of all the desserts I’ve had the pleasure of eating here on the surface, strawberry cheesecake has to be the best one by far. Not plain old ordinary cheesecake, not chocolate cheesecake, not even the swirly one, it  _ has _ to be strawberry.” He stopped and took another bite, a big one. “Actually, no, out of every human food I have ever eaten, this is the best. Just, the luxury of it, the elegance. It’s so simple and to the point.” 

   You gave a soft giggle in response as you just now took your second bite. 

   Mettaton smiled, taking another bite. “So yes, strawberry cheesecake is the best food on this planet by far, but I will say that after that, strawberries have to be a close second. They’re just so cute, and super sweet. You can put them with practically anything, I mean it,  _ anything _ . I’ve actually come accustomed to replacing grapes with strawberries on my cheese plates when at parties, you know what I mean, don’t you?” he asked rhetorically with a smile. Taking another forkful to his mouth, he glanced down at his plate.

   You glanced over as well, he had maybe a 1/4th of his slice left, as well as the strawberry. Looking back to your plate, you had most of your entire slice.

   “Darling?”

   Tilting your head up to face him, he was looking at you with a gentle smile.

   This time, he spoke from his mouth. “Would… would you like mine? My strawberry, I mean?” 

   You paused a moment. He has just spent the last good minute talking about how much he loved strawberries, and you pegged Mettaton as the type of guy who would never offer his favorite of anything to anyone. Deep down, you felt like this was one of the most genuine things he could do, you felt like he was showing you how much he loved you, even if it was just with the offering of a small piece of fruit. Shaking your head gently, you replied with a warm smile. “No, you keep it.” 

   “Oh thank  **_god_ ** !” He then proceeded to practically inhale the strawberry along with the rest of his cake. 

   Within the half hour, you finished your piece and Mettaton paid the check. The both of you exited the restaurant stepping out into the air of the cool summer evening. 

   “Dear?”

   You looked up to the robot beside you.

   “Would you mind if we took the long way home?” he asked. 

   “Not at all.” 

   The two of you then proceeded in the vague direction of your home; as you walked, you eventually came upon a park with a path you knew went directly to your street. The two of you entered it and slowly walked, arm in arm, down the path lit by tall lamps, in silence. 

   After some time had passed and you had walked about halfway through, Mettaton lifted his free arm and pointed with a gloved finger. “Here, right here.”

   “Hm?”

   “This is where I got chased by that hoard of awful creatures.” he said in a tone dripping with disgust.

   “The Temmies?” you asked.

   “Yes.”

   Remembering the snapchat he had sent you right as it happened, you couldn’t help but burst into laughter. 

   “Hey! It’s not funny!” he protested. 

   Pulling away from his arm, you covered your mouth with your hands, trying to stifle your laughter, but it was no use. You were in hysterics. 

   Mettaton crossed his arms and stomped off ahead of you, sitting down at a bench, huffing in disapproval. 

   Once done laughing, you made your way over and sat down, apologizing. “I’m sorry, Mettaton, I’m just remembering that snapchat you sent me so long ago, it was really funny.” 

   Mettaton chuckled. “Yeah, I guess it was.”

   After a few moments, the light of the lamp post above the two of you flickered out. Looking up, you let a groan escape your lips. “When is this city going to keep up with park maintenance?” 

   “Would you like me to put a call into the Mayor’s office?” Mettaton asked, you were 75% sure that he was being serious. 

   “No, no, it's fine.” You turned to him and replied with a dismissive wave. Suddenly, out the corner of your eyes, you saw some small glittering lights. A small gasp escaped your lips.

   “What the- what is all that?” Mettaton asked. 

   You looked up to him. “Those?” You pointed. 

   He nodded. 

   “Fireflies, or um, some people call them lightning bugs.”

   “That sounds terrifying.” he said, almost in fear. 

   “No no, they’re not scary.” you laughed softly, getting to your feet. 

   Mettaton continued to speak as you walked over to where the bunch of glowing bugs were congregated. “They sort of remind me of these lights... where I used to live underground.”

   “Really? What was it like?” You asked as you gently held a hand out, smiling softly as one of the bugs landed on it. 

   “Well… I lived in a few different areas of the underground, but where I lived first,” his tone of voice changed, to that of melancholy. “Where I lived with Blooky... the place was beautiful, it was called Waterfall.”

   You gently cupped your hands around the bug as you walked back over to him and he continued talking. 

   “There were always little floating twinkling lights, just everywhere.” he smiled. “And Echo Flowers.”

   “Echo Flowers?” you asked as you sat back down beside him. 

   He nodded. “Flowers that repeat what you say to them.”

   “Hm…” You leaned against the back of the bench. “I would have loved to see it.” 

   “Yeah…”

   After a moment, you uncupped your hands a bit and looked into them, the small bug crawled along your fingers, softly glowing. “Here.” you said as you pulled the top hand away, holding out your hand to show Mettaton the bug. 

   “Oh, goodness.” Mettaton replied in awe. Leaning forward to look at it, his visible eye widened and it's soft pink glow mixed with the warm yellow of the bug. He then held his hand against yours and the bug crawled from your hand to his. 

   You pulled your hand away and watched Mettaton’s face as he examined the bug. After a few moments the bug flew from Mettaton’s hand and landed upon your nose. A soft giggle escaped your lips and you crossed your eyes to look at the bug sitting on the tip of your nose. You heard Mettaton laugh as well and the bug then flew from your nose, going to join it's glowing friends. Looking back over to him, Mettaton’s eyes were staring intently at the group of fireflies and you couldn’t help yourself as you started smiling. His eye was just so full of wonder and awe, he was almost sparkling. You kind of always liked Mettaton’s innocent view of the surface, the way he was just blooming with curiosity, even when he didn’t know what things were.

   Your teeth gently dug into your bottom lip, unsure if it was too soon, but your body acted on it's own. Leaning over to him, you placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. 

   The sound of whirring fans joined the quiet park sounds of crickets and the far off sound of cars on the road. He looked to you, his face almost confused. 

   “I-I’m sorry. W-Was that okay, should… should I not have done that?” you asked nervously.

   Mettaton didn’t verbally respond, just wrapped an arm around your waist, gently pulling you close to him. He pressed a tender kiss on your forehead, assuring you that it was alright.

   Taking a deep breath to calm the quickening of your heart, you leaned your head on his shoulder and looked back ahead of you, watching the fireflies softly glow around you. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look who finally updated  
> its me  
> hiya
> 
> Yay, things are finally starting to get back to normal!
> 
> Oh! Some people have been drawing me really great fanart, KEEP IT UP! I LOVE ALL OF IT!!
> 
> Alsoooooo Guess who's starting a Mettaton ask blog. Me, its me. I'm still getting it up and running, and messing around with the theme, but go follow it here! http://1-800-mtt.tumblr.com/
> 
> ~~~~  
> If you want talk about the fic or make any fanart or whatever, hmu! Ive changed my tumblr url to demisexualmettaton.tumblr.com, so, if you still end up going to koalolive, it should have a message to redirect you there!  
> But please, if you can, if you're going to tag or @ me, along with demisexualmettaton, please include koalolive with it, so that when I switch back, I'll still be able to find things with one tag! Also, tag it as 'undertale bookmarks' because thats helpful and what I tag all my stuff as. ALSO, YOU GUYS DON'T NEED TO ASK ME IF YOU CAN DRAW FANART, I WILL OPENLY ACCEPT ALL OF IT!!!
> 
> Thanks for taking the time to read. If you have any general comments, critique, or suggestions, don't hesitate to leave a comment. I would really appreciate suggestions of any kind.


	35. Slime

   Sitting at the front desk of the library, you stared at your hands; your paint covered hands. Well, they weren’t exactly covered, rather, they were stained. Stained with what might have been orange or red at one point, now a dark shade of brown, practically black. You had spent almost five straight minutes scrubbing them in the bathroom, but that’s what you got for using your fingers to paint instead of a brush.

   Your eyes darted up from your hands to the thing that made them so dirty in the first place; another window mural. Earlier that morning, you had finished the fall themed painting and you smiled to yourself, happy with the final product. Although, you were a little upset with yourself that you didn’t get it done sooner, what with it being a little over a week to Halloween. Man, time flies.

   It had been a little over three months since Mettaton asked you out on that date, and things only got better from there. The both of you were practically back to the way you were before, not the same, but somehow better. Mettaton practically made you his top priority, with communication as the main strong point of your relationship. Obviously you weren’t worth more than his career (even if every once in awhile he would say something dramatic along the lines of ‘Oh darling, if I was held at gunpoint and had to pick you or my show, or I would die, I would pick you any day!’), but he always made sure to make time for you, every day, even if it was a quick phone call on the days he was extremely busy. You weren’t sure what you did to deserve a guy like him, but, everything just felt right.

   Glancing at the clock on the wall behind you, it was seven minutes to three and you were waiting on one of your new-co workers to show up. There was good and bad news to that though. Winnie had hired two new people to work because your two other co-workers had left. The monster was having a baby so they needed to leave to care for it, and the high schooler (who had some type of vendetta against you for dating Mettaton), was a senior and had graduated this past June, leaving the city in September for college. So, you were mildly pleased that they were out of your hair, even if it was only until next summer when Winnie said she would hire them back. In this very moment though, you were waiting on a rather nerdy girl by the name of Clarice, a college freshman.

   As you thought of her in that very moment, you heard the door open and glancing over, she was rushing in, holding a couple of books close to her chest. You smiled and waved to her.

   Once she got to you, she spoke up in a hushed tone. “Hey, I’m so sorry I’m late. They’re doing road work on Fallton avenue and I had to take a detour.”

   Glancing over to the clock on the wall, it was exactly three. “Don’t worry about it, dude. You’re right on time. But even if you were a few minutes late, it wouldn’t have been a big deal.” you said in a reassuring tone as you got up from the desk. You wrote the leaving time on your time slip, handing your pen to her so she could fill out hers.

   She nodded and filled out hers, speaking up once she handed your pen back. “The mural looks amazing by the way.”

   “Oh, thank you, but my hands, not so much.” you said, holding up up your stained hands.

   Letting out a small giggle, she made her way to the desk and sat down.

   Picking up your backpack, you slung it over a shoulder after you put on your heavy sweater and walked around to the front of the desk. “Oh, hey, so, I have some errands to run right now and I don’t have time to stop back at my place so I’m leaving my paint bin here,” you spoke, pointing to the container on the floor against the wall behind the desk. “Also, I have the opening shift tomorrow, so before you close, do you mind bringing in the books from the return container? I’ll take care of them.”

   She made the ‘okay’ sign with her fingers.

   Waving, you made your way out the door into the chilled autumn air and headed down the street toward the mall. You didn’t exactly have _errands_ to run per say, but you were meeting Mettaton there for something pretty exciting. Since he cancelled his talk show so many months ago, and he concluded that having more than one show was a little too stressful for him (with the way the surface handles the media); he decided to get his name out there in a completely different way-- with the MTT-Brand. Underground, he had so much more, like a whole line of MTT-Brand cosmetics, his own hotel, and even a fast food joint; the list was endless. Now, all he had was his show, but he needed more. So, he decided to start up with all that branding on the surface. For the last month he had been trying to get a whole bunch of different makeup stores to sell his… beauty products. The list is compiled of (but not limited to) MTT-Brand Bishie Cream, MTT-Brand Anime Powder, MTT-Brand Cute Juice, MTT-Brand Attraction Slime, and MTT-Brand Beauty Yogurt. You had no idea what any of it was used for, and if you admitted that to Mettaton, you know you would get an earful. But, you were going to find out soon enough, because that’s the whole reason you were going to the mall today, his product line dropped in Sephora earlier this week and Mettaton really wanted to know how the sales were doing.

   As soon as you entered the mall, you felt your phone vibrate against your thigh. Fishing it out, you saw Mettaton’s name on the caller ID and answered with a cheery, “Hello~”

   “Darling! You look absolutely adorable today!” Mettaton’s voice chimed from the other end.

   “What, how do you-” Cutting yourself off, you looked around to try and find him, but you didn’t see your metallic boyfriend anywhere.

   “Up, darling.”

   Looking up, you saw him leaning against the railing bordering the second floor between the two escalators. He adorned a pastel pink sweater and a black skirt, accessorized with a cream scarf and legwarmers to match.

   “I could say the same thing about you though.” you retorted.

   You saw the smile beam across his face as he replied. “I adore you, darling. Now c’mon we haven’t got all day, the mall closes at ten.”

   Rolling your eyes as you got onto the escalator, you responded. “Yes we do, it’s only 3:20, that’s like six and a half hours, a.k.a. all day.”

   “Shush.” he said with a pucker of his lips.

   You couldn’t help the giggle that escaped your lips as you hung up the phone and stepped off the moving staircase. Stepping aside for others to get off behind you, Mettaton came to meet you, his lips still puckered.

   Taking it as a signal that he wanted a kiss from you, you stood on your tiptoes and he leaned down to meet you, your lips meeting for a split second.

   Pulling away he stood upright and took your hand. “Now c’mon sweetie!”

   “Alright alright!” you giggled, following after him. He currently had the level of excitement equivalent to that of a kid in a candy store, or rather, on their way to a candy store. As he dragged you, you glanced around the mall, it being completely decked out with black and orange decorations in anticipation for Halloween. You wanted to speak up and ask him what his plans were for the holiday, but you didn’t want to interrupt his excitement.

   “Here we are!” he exclaimed.

   Looking up, you saw the big, backlit sign for Sephora as he continued to drag you inside. Once past the entrance, there was a huge display for MTT-Brand Cosmetics and it was practically empty. There were only a handful of each product left at the display, as well as the open containers to sample the products (those were practically empty as well).

   “Wow, practically everything sold! And they stocked up this morning!”

   You paused and looked up at him. The expression on his face read exactly what he was thinking, something along the lines of ‘whoops I said something that I shouldn’t have.’ You furrowed your brows and pursed your lips. “Mettaton, don’t tell me you’ve been in the mall since it opened.”

   “Of course not!” But the inflection he used wasn’t fooling anyone.

   “Mettaton.” you whined. “We talked about this! You said you were only going to check out the sales once.”

   “I couldn’t help myself!” he pouted, crossing his arms.

   A small sigh escaped your lips. What were you going to do with him?

   “Anyway, you try out the products while I go talk to the manager.” he smiled, turning away and strutting toward the checkout area.

   You took a step over and looked at the product containers that were open for people to try out, and they sure looked… interesting.

   Looking over all of the sample containers, you picked up the one that caught your eye, but only because of it's color and consistency. As you picked up the practically empty lotion-like bottle filled with the MTT-Brand Attraction Slime, you examined the florescent pink color through the clear plastic. Yep, you couldn’t think of another word to describe the consistency of this, other than slime. Your train of thought was interrupted by an elbow being rested on your shoulder. Looking up, a sweet, metal face was looking down at you, expectantly.

   “What?” you asked.

   “Do you like it?” he asked.

   “I haven’t even used it yet, I’m just kind of looking at it. It’s really… weird looking.”

   An exaggerated gasp escaped his lips. “W-What? You haven’t even used it yet? Darling, I gave you two of each product last week!”

   You sighed. “Mettaton, I’ve used a few of them, but, this stuff, just looks really weird to me. And the slimy consistency is just… a little unsettling.”

   Mettaton looked as if you had just ripped out his heart and smashed it into a million pieces. “W-What?”

   “Oh, no, Mettaton. I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just really foreign to me I guess. Monster cosmetics I mean.” you explained quickly. “I’m not saying I won’t use it, it's just, I guess I don’t know how?”

   In an instant, he completely reverted back to his normal self. “Well, Sweetheart, how come you didn’t tell me sooner? I’m happy to help you.” He then proceeded to take off his gloves and pluck the bottle from your hands. Pressing down on the pump, he squeezed out a dime sized dollop of the slime onto the tip of his index finger and set the bottle down. “Now, MTT-Brand Attraction Slime is just as the name describes. It’s a mixture Alphys helped me come up with that releases some kind of pheromones into the air when in contact with the skin, or scales, or bones, or whatever, of the wearer, making them smell completely irresistible.” he explained, while with a free hand, he nudged your head up and tilted it to one side, brushing your hair out of the way, and rubbed a bit of the slime behind your ear; you shivered upon feeling the cold slime. “It’s best when applied behind the ears, but also works well at the wrists and behind the knees.” He continued as he tilted your head to the other side and rubbed the rest of it behind your other ear. “Also, it has some type of chemical compound in it that smells different depending on the genetic makeup of the wearer.” he finished, letting go of your face and flashing a bright smile.

   “Wow, that’s really impressive.” you smiled.

   “Now, what do you smell?” he asked curiously, leaning down close to you.

   “Oh, uhh.” you paused a moment, sniffing the air a bit. “Maybe… something kind of floraly.”

   “I smell it too.” he replied, his smile morphing into a bit of a smirk. “And I think it smells absolutely ravishing~”

   A light blush painted your face and you turned your head from him. “T-Thank you, now are we all done- Ah!” you had been cut off by feeling a pair of lips press against your neck. “M-Mettaton!”

   He snickered playfully as he pulled away and stood up straight. “I told you it made the wearer irresistible.”

   The heat remained at your cheeks as you turned back to face him. You pointed a finger at him. “Watch it, bub.”

   A small gasp escaped his lips. “Darling? What on earth happened to your lovely hands?”

   You glanced at the stained fingertips. “Oh, I finished the mural today at the library, I kinda ended up painting with my fingers when I finished it.”

   Sighing, he put his gloves back on and took the hand that you were still looking at into his own. “What on earth am I going to do with you?” he asked rhetorically as he began to lead you out of the store.

   A small giggle escaped your lips as you walked beside him though the mall. As you did, he intertwined his fingers with yours, and hummed happily. Speaking up, you asked, “What’s gotten you so chipper?”

   “Halloween, my dear! One of the best human holidays!” he cheered.

   “Don’t you say that about every holiday?”

   “That’s besides the point~” Mettaton replied, pulling you into a Halloween store, the kind that pop out of nowhere and take up the empty spaces not being used any other time of the year.

   “Oh my gosh, Bratty, look, it’s Mettaton.”

   “Oh my gosh, Catty, you’re so right.”

   Mettaton smiled brightly when he saw the cat and alligator monsters sitting behind the cash registers. Strutting over as he let go of your hands, he threw his arms out wide in a dramatic fashion. “Catty, Bratty, how are my lovely fans doing this wonderful afternoon?”

   The two spoke in unison. “Like, so great.”

   You knew vaguely of Catty and Bratty from both Mettaton and Alphys speaking of them; girlfriends who were huge Mettaton fanatics and looked up to Alphys like a big sister. Glancing around the store, you strolled down an aisle, looking for inspiration on what to wear for Halloween. Even if you were going to pass out candy in your apartment building, you wanted to look good for your trick-or-treaters. As your arm was extended, touching the fabric of a cape, you felt a pair of tiny arms wrap around your leg. You gasped in surprise and looked down to see a familiar face; Frisk.

   Beaming up at you, they waved.

   “Hello there, Frisk.” you giggled.

   “Frisk, Frisk? Where did you run off to, my child? You can not just- Oh!” Turning around the corner, was Toriel who gasped upon seeing you.

   Smiling, you waved. “Hey, Toriel.”

   “My child, hello.” she smiled, walking over. “What are you doing here? Frisk and I are shopping for their costume. They are very indecisive.”

   Looking down at Frisk again, they were wearing a firefighter helmet, a pumpkin dress, and gogo boots. A giggle escaped your lips. “Well, that is quite the costume, Frisk. I bet Mettaton would love the boots.”

   “What boots would I love?” Speak of the devil.

   “Oh, Mettaton, good afternoon.” Toriel smiled.

   “Hello, Toriel. Ohhh my goodness, Frisk! Darling, you _were_ right, I love these boots!” Mettaton exclaimed as he crouched down to admire them.

   Your little group conversed for a while until Toriel and Frisk had to get back trying on outfits, and once they were out of view, Mettaton turned to you with a charming smile.

   “What?” you asked, before he could say anything.

   “Will you let me decorate your apartment for Halloween?”

   “Wow, that sounds familiar.” you responded, being reminded of when he redid your entire apartment.

   “You know what I mean.” he pouted.

   Rolling your eyes, you knew that there was no way for you to object. “Alright, fine~”

~~~

   The Saturday before Halloween, Mettaton had showed up at your apartment and the two of you spent hours laughing and decorating for the holiday. Once done and the two of you were just cuddling on your couch, you asked him if he actually had any plans for Halloween. Jumping at your question, he told you that he really wanted to invite you over for a party. However, whenever Mettaton decided to invite you to any type of party, you were always apprehensive to agree, but he continued to insist. So, after a few minutes of pleading, you agreed.

   You currently stood in the elevator up to his apartment; it was slowly rising, going up floor by floor and the nervousness set in. If it was going to be at his apartment, surely it was only going to be your small group of friends, right? No, Toriel said that she, Frisk, Sans, and Papyrus were all going trick-or-treating together, and Mettaton surely wouldn’t call it a party if it were just going to be the both of you, Napstablook, Alphys and Undyne. Taking a deep breath, you nervously played with one of the hanging wires on your costume. Deciding to be a cheeky little shit, you put together a robot costume to poke fun at Mettaton, even designing it a bit after him, but it had a purple color scheme rather than the pink one he had (you wanted it to be a bit festive for Halloween so you decided purple rather than orange). You had even done face paint in a similar design that copied the panels on his face. Pulled from your thoughts by the dinging of the elevator, you took a deep breath and stepped out once the doors opened. You swallowed hard and walked over to the door, knocking on it gently. You didn’t hear any music from the other side, you could have sworn Mettaton would have been blasting something, so it struck you as kind of odd.

   The door opened, revealing Mettaton, adorned in the most elegant, pink, princess dress you had ever seen in your whole life. Elegant jewelry hung around his neck, his hair was pulled back into some fancy up-do, and he wore a beautiful tiara atop his head. A smirk painted his lips. “Oh you saucy little minx, I can’t believe you dressed up like moi for Halloween.”

   “Wha- No I’m not.” you protested. “I’m just another robot designed by the great royal scientist, Dr. Alphys.”

   “Oh? Really now?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

   “Yes.”

   Stepping out of the way to let you inside, a chuckle escaped his lips.

   You walked into his apartment, and looking around, you were actually a little shocked; no one was there. The room was dim, only lit by a plethora of candles surrounding his couch area, the couches were more set up in a triangle formation and a huge blanket hung overtop them. The tv screen displayed the Netflix homepage and his coffee table was covered in food.

   “So?”

   Turning around to face Mettaton who was smiling expectantly, you were practically speechless. “W-What is all this?”

   “Halloween!”

   “But… you invited me to ‘a big party.’” you replied, raising your gloved fingers and air quoting.

   “Yes, a big party of two. Are you disappointed? Did you want a big party?” he asked, frowning a bit.

   “Honestly, no, but, what is all this?” you asked.

   “Well, I thought we could just sit together in a pillow fort and watch scary movies… don’t a lot of humans like to do that kind of thing? I was doing a little bit of research.”

   Without missing a beat, you replied in a quick, serious tone. “I have never been more in love with someone in my entire life.”

   Mettaton burst into laughter and took your hand, leading you over to the fort. He wiped an oily tear from the corner of his eye and just smiled. “You’re adorable.”

   You giggled and sat down in the fort on some of the pillows; the inside of the fort was decorated with strings of orange fairy lights.

   The two of you sat together and watched a normal Halloween movie, stuffing your faces on themed food that Mettaton prepared, and just enjoyed each other's company. After the first movie ended, you decided to go wash off the face paint you had on, for several reasons. One, it had already been messed up by shoveling food into your mouth; two, your face was starting to feel a little bit heavy; and three, the proceeding movies were going to be scary ones, and if you were going to be jumping into Mettaton’s arms, you sure as hell didn’t want silvery face paint getting all over his gorgeous dress. You walked back into the room and Mettaton was lounging in the fort, waiting for your return, and seeing you, he frowned a bit.

   “What?”

   “You took off the makeup! I loved looking at you in it.” he pouted.

   “You only liked it because it looked like your own face.” you retorted, climbing in next to him.

   “That’s besides the point.”

   A giggle escaped your lips and you nudged him with your elbow. “Okay, what are we watching now?”

   “This.” he said, selecting a horror movie.

   You had heard recently that this particular movie was pretty scary and you were both a bit excited and nervous to watch it. “Alright.”

   Mettaton pressed play, and the movie started.

   The movie started and about 20 or so minutes in, the jumpscares began. You didn’t necessarily make any noises when they happened, your body just jerked in the initial  reaction of fear.

   “You alright?” Mettaton whispered from beside you.

   “Y-Yeah, I’m fine.” you nodded.

   The movie continued on and a little while later, there was another one, this time, the both of you flinched in fear. Neither of you said anything, you just moved closer to one another, cuddling together, and you were practically engulfed by the fabric of Mettaton’s dress.

   The movie continued and it was nearing the climax, getting scarier and scarier by the minute. So scary, that you had to look away, and on impulse you buried your face into Mettaton’s chest.

   “Darling?”

   You looked up to see Mettaton’s concerned gaze.

   “Need me to stop the movie?” he whispered.

   You shook your head ‘no’ in response.

   “Alright.” But he didn’t look away to face the screen again, he just moved his arm around your waist, pulling you a bit closer to him.

   A light blush painted your cheeks and you responded in a soft smile, glad that he was concerned about you. Leaning up, you placed a gentle kiss on his cheek.

   Mettaton responded with kissing your cheek back, but his lips lingered there a moment longer than you expected. “Darling?” he whispered, his lips still against your skin.

   “Hm?”

   “Are you wearing MTT-Brand Attraction Slime?” he asked as he pulled away.

   “And what if I am?” you smiled playfully.

   “You smell _divine_.” he smirked.

   “Good.” you replied, turning your face back to the scary movie.

   As you faced it, you didn't pay attention to it, but to Mettaton, listening to him grunt in disapproval at your response. You knew he was trying to be sexy and flirty, but you enjoyed teasing him.

   As you watched the movie, the screen changed to a scene of a girl running through a snowy forest from the killer, and hiding behind a tree. The scene of her panting face drew out seconds longer than it should have, to build suspense. Suddenly, you felt a cold puff of air hit the back of your neck and you screamed. Mettaton’s laughter soon followed.

   “M-Mettaton!” you yelled, looking up at him.

   “I'm sorry darling,” he said between laughs. “I couldn't resist.”

   You huffed in disapproval as he shifted his face to you, your noses touching. You attempted to pull your head back, but he leaned forward as you did, your noses continuing to touch. “Mettaton! Stop! I'm mad at you.”

   “Aw, I was only having a little fun.” he replied.

   You leaned more and suddenly fell back, you head would have hit the floor if every space of the fort wasn't covered in blankets and pillows.

   Mettaton laughed a bit more as he climbed over you, pressing his nose to yours again. “C’mon, you can't stay mad at me.”

   “Yes I can.”

   “Oh? Really?” he asked as he pressed his forehead against yours, looking into your eyes. They were half lidded and glowing pink; as usual.

   “M-Maybe.” you stammered.

   Mettaton pulled his forehead away from yours and whispered into your ear. “How do I get you to stop?”

   Swallowing dryly, you responded. “G-Give me a more sincere apology. You really scared me.”

   “I apologize, sweetheart. I really mean it. The last thing I want is for you to be mad at me.” he whispered sincerely.

   “I-I accept your apology.” you replied, shuddering a bit due to him speaking directly into your ear and the tone in which he said it in.

   “I'm glad.” he replied, placing a gentle kiss at your ear.

   “Metta- Ah! M-Mettaton!” you gasped, feeling his lips trail small kisses from your ear down your neck.

   “Hm?” he hummed, his lips against your neck.

   “W-What are you doing?”

   “What does it feel like?” he asked, his lips formed a smile against your neck as he shifted his position so he was straddling your waist, but as he did, you were buried beneath a pile of the pink fabric of his dress.

   You knew he was trying to be alluring, but you couldn’t help but start laughing.

   “Ugh, this stupid dress is getting in the way of everything.” he grumbled, reaching behind him and unzipping it.

   As you continued laughing, Mettaton slid the dress off over his head and tossed it out of the fort. The only things left to his costume were his jewelry, tiara (that was crooked due to just taking off the dress), and his makeup. His lips were significantly smudged and there were probably lip marks all over your neck. Lifting up a hand, you wiped the tears from your eyes and watched Mettaton’s face morph into disapproval.

   “You ruined the mood.” he frowned.

   “Me? It was your dress, dummy.” you giggled. “Besides, there was no mood, and even if there were, I know that you of all people could get back into one as quickly as you fell out.” you replied in a ‘matter-of-fact’ type of tone.

   “Fine, then I will.”

   “Wait, wha- ah!” Mettaton leaned down and kissed your neck, causing you to gasp out gently in surprise.

   As the robot straddled you, he kissed and sucked gently at your neck while a hand slid against your waist. You gently bit down on your bottom lip as he began to suck your neck harder, his teeth gently scraping once or twice. Once he finished working the area that was sure to be purplish by tomorrow, he kissed his way back up your neck and once he got to your ear, he gently bit the lobe.

   A soft moan escaped your lips and you quickly brought a hand up, covering your mouth out of embarrassment.

   Mettaton pulled away and a low chuckle left his mouth as he towered over you again. “So, would you say there’s a mood now?”

   Not removing the hand from your mouth, you answered with a muffled, “Yeah.”

   Mettaton brought his hand to yours that covered your mouth, and moved it out of the way, placing his lips to yours. You gently kissed back and wrapped your arms around his neck, closing your eyes. Mettaton slid his arms under your back as he deepened the kiss, pulling you upright. You kissed back passionately as he shifted you, so you sat in his lap, and you proceeded to wrap your legs around his waist. Mettaton slid his arms down from your back, to your waist, and pulled you against him, and as your torsos were flush against one another, Mettaton slid his tongue gently against your bottom lip. You opened your mouth, sliding your tongue gently against his as he did the same. After a few moments, he pulled from the kiss and licked gently down your neck, kissing your collarbone softly. A small moan escaped your lips and you shuddered at the feeling of his dragging tongue. Pulling away from your collarbone, he lifted his head so your faces were level, you opened your eyes so they were half lidded and saw a smirk painted on his lips. You slid your fingers into his hair, causing some of the bobby pins to fall out, and his hair cascade down, out of his updo.

   A breathless, “Wow.” escaped your lips.

   “Hm?”

   “You just look so gorgeous.”

   Mettaton leaned in and pressed his forehead to yours. “As are you.”

   You giggled softly.

   “What?”

   Smiling, you placed a gentle kiss onto his nose.

 

   “I guess it was a good idea to wear MTT-Brand Attraction Slime, huh?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *smirk emoji*
> 
> Okay, I know you guys have been waiting for this next chapter and that it's been almost 4 weeks since I've updated, but please calm down. I did not drop the fic. My laptop charger broke and I was unable to write it. I've also had a huge workload this semester. So please, do not beg me for updates. I will update on my own time, when I can. This fic is NOT being dropped. Okay? Please, I'm only one human being with a lot on their plate and need to take things slow and easy or else I'll end up dead (not really). So please, just be a little patient. 
> 
> Also, that's kind of the reason I made this chapter a bit longer, too. To make up for the fact that it's been like 2 whole weeks.
> 
> Catty and Bratty are girlfriends, not in the sense that they are girls who are friends, they are dating, they are the best and I love them.
> 
> ~~~~  
> My Mettaton Askblog: http://1-800-mtt.tumblr.com/
> 
> If you want talk about the fic or make any fanart or whatever, hmu! Ive changed my tumblr url to demisexualmettaton.tumblr.com, so, if you still end up going to koalolive, it should have a message to redirect you there!  
> But please, if you can, if you're going to tag or @ me, along with demisexualmettaton, please include koalolive with it, so that when I switch back, I'll still be able to find things with one tag! Also, tag it as 'undertale bookmarks' because thats helpful and what I tag all my stuff as. ALSO, YOU GUYS DON'T NEED TO ASK ME IF YOU CAN DRAW FANART, I WILL OPENLY ACCEPT ALL OF IT!!!
> 
> Thanks for taking the time to read. If you have any general comments, critique, or suggestions, don't hesitate to leave a comment. I would really appreciate suggestions of any kind.


	36. Echo

   “Darling? Are you almost ready?” you heard your boyfriend call from where he was standing in your bathroom, doing some last minute preening. 

   “Just putting on these swanky new boots you bought me.” you replied, pulling on the brand new, shiny, knee high rain boots. Mettaton had purchased these boots for you, but you really weren’t sure why. He was also having you wear the boots to wherever the both of you were headed today, despite the day’s forecast being a sunny, chilled 43 degrees. 

   Mettaton walked out of the bathroom holding his makeup clutch and handing it to you. “Sweetie, do you mind putting this in your backpack for me?” 

   “Not at all.” you responded, taking it and putting it in your bag along with, a flashlight, your sketchbook, and some snacks. “But, will you tell me where we’re going yet?” you asked. 

   “Tsk, tsk~” he clicked his tongue as he wagged a finger. 

   Sighing you zipped up your backpack and slung it over your shoulders. “Fine~ You can’t blame me for being curious.”

   “Dear, speaking of being curious, I’d like to know why you still have all these Halloween decorations up.” he replied gesturing to some of the small bats hanging above his head. “It’s been two weeks.”

   A giggle escaped your lips. “I dunno.”

   He smiled and rolled his eyes as he took your hand, leading you out of your apartment to the sleek, black car waiting for you outside. 

   As he opened the door for you, you slid into the back seat and he followed in after you. Once he shut the door behind him the car began to move. You buckled, as did he, and you sat your backpack at your feet. “How about now?”

   “‘How about now’ what?” he asked in a teasing tone.

   “Where are we going?” you whined.

   Mettaton sighed. “Dear, we’ll be there in a little while, just be patient.” 

   Puffing out your cheeks, you crossed your arms in disapproval. In response, he leaned over and placed a kiss on one of your puffed out cheeks. 

~~~

   It takes a good half hour for you to get out of the city with all the traffic, and then another 45 minutes to get to your surprise destination; the middle of the woods at the base of a mountain. Mettaton told the driver something and he drove off back the way he came. Watching the car disappear into the trees, you were more confused as ever. 

   “Do you know where we are, darling?” Mettaton spoke up.

   “Not a clue.”

   A chuckle escaped his lips and he took your hand, leading you up a worn down, mountain path. “I’m surprised you haven’t figured it out by now.”

   “Just tell me!” 

   “I’m taking you to the Underground, honey!”

   You almost tripped over a rock upon him telling you this. “What?”

   “Yeah.” he smiled, looking back at you. 

   “But… I thought the entrance to the Underground was on Mt. Ebbot? Isn’t this Mt. Aeron?” 

   “Oh, it is. We’re actually heading into the Underground backwards. The barrier was broken in the area known as New Home, which is where everyone exited the Underground, ending up near the top of Mt. Aeron. The entrance is in the Ruins which is below Mt. Ebbot; the Underground spans beneath it all and even further.” he explained as he began to pick up the pace up the steady incline. 

   It took you a bit of effort to keep up, but it wasn’t too hard, not yet at least. “Okay, so, why  _ aren’t _ we going in through Ebbot?” 

   “Well, there are a few reasons.” he started as he walked. “The entrance in Ebbot that leads to the Ruins, is very dangerous, it’s essentially a big, gaping crater without a safe way down, a really big drop, too.”

   “And Frisk fell down that?” you asked in disbelief.

   “Indeed they did, they’re a strong kid.” he nodded.

   “Wow.” 

   The two of you continued hiking, having to stop a couple times for you catch your breath before Mettaton got a little fed up with not staying on schedule. You tried to tell him that you were only human, but he just rolled his eyes and gave you a piggyback the rest of the way up. Eventually, you made it to the entrance and before heading down, you turned around to look at the view. A huge expanse of forest covered the scenery and off to the left was Mt. Ebbot, and toward the right, was the city where you lived. 

   “This is a gorgeous view.” you said softly.

   “Isn’t it?” he agreed. 

   Sliding a hand into your pocket, you pulled out your phone, snapping a photo of the scene before you. A second later, you felt Mettaton’s chin on your shoulder. 

   “Take a selfie of us.” 

   Smiling, you changed the camera view to the front facing setting and snapped a selfie of the two of you. Mettaton pressed his lips to your cheek and you snapped another one as you giggled. 

   “Alright, let’s head out.” he said, standing back up straight.

   “You mean ‘in’, right?”

   “Shush~” he said, taking your hand and leading you into the cave and down a long, dark cavern. 

   “Do you want the flashlight?” you asked, watching the daylight slowly fade around you. 

   “No, it won’t stay dark for long.” he replied.

   The two of you continued for a while, all that could be heard was the low hum of Mettaton’s internal mechanisms, your breathing, and the both of your footsteps on the rocks beneath you. Suddenly, Mettaton’s clicking heels sounded as if they were hitting some type of smooth, monster made surface, rather than rock. You continued walking and through an archway, a patch of grass was lit from above, by some source of light, but you didn’t question it and continued on, making your way through another doorway and to the right, down a hallway and to a rather large room. Mettaton continued to lead you to the left, through another doorway, into a huge room filled with golden flowers and a large chair sat in the center.

   “This was King Asgore’s throne room.” Mettaton spoke, leading you toward the door on the other side of the room. 

   Nodding, you looked at the flowers on the ground, thinking of what had become of the king on the surface; he was a landscaper and florist, and a pretty great one too. 

   Mettaton lead you through the door and down another hallway to the right, and eventually you made it to a long hallway with huge stained glass windows, hues of orange and yellow flooded the room, and the sounds of chirping birds could be heard. 

   “Hey, Mettaton? Isn’t this underground? Where are the bird noises and light coming from?” you asked.

   “Magic, dear, magic.” he chanted as he continued to lead you down the hall.

   Before he took you through the door, you stopped him and you took a picture of the hallway. Continuing out the door, there was a wall with an elevator door on it, and to the left, a huge view of a kingdom painted in grey. 

   “Would you like to take the scenic route, or a shortcut?” he asked. 

   “Scenic!” you smiled, wanting to see as much as possible. 

   He nodded in response and continued to lead you down a long pathway, going on and explaining to you what you were seeing, from the long, seemingly endless expanse of the kingdom, and eventually, into a home, which Mettaton explained used to belong to King Asgore, Queen Toriel, and their children Asriel and Chara. 

   You stopped in your tracks. “Wait… Toriel was a queen?!” 

   “Why, yes dear, did you not know?”

   “I… I thought it was just a nickname Sans used sometimes.” you admitted.

   A chuckle escaped his lips as he lead you out of the home and down another long stretch of the kingdom, and eventually to an elevator. 

   “Hey, Mettaton, does this stuff still work?” you asked, gesturing to the elevator.

   “Press the down button to find out.” he smiled.

   Leaning over, your pressed the button, causing the doors to open right up. With Mettaton, you stepped right inside and he pressed a button. The doors closed with a swish, and when they opened again, the hallway you were met with, was blue with red wiring along the walls. 

   “So, my dear, now we’re in the Core.” he said, taking lead and strutting down the long hallway. You followed after and looked around, taking a few pictures. 

   Continuing to look around at anywhere but in front of you, you followed Mettaton down a hall and into a dark room. Not realizing he stopped, you bumped into him. “Oh, sorry.”

   “It’s fine darling, just be aware of everything while we’re down here, okay?” 

   You nodded. “But why did you stop?”

   Turning forward, he began to walk around the dark, circular room “Oh, well, just a little nostalgic, is all. I fought Frisk in here.”

   Scrunching your brows together, you asked. “You two fought?” 

   Mettaton nodded as he began to tell you the tale of what had happened with Frisk, as well as Alphys. As he did, he lead you out of the room and over to an elevator (pausing halfway through his story to let you know that it would be much easier to get to their next destination by elevator). He continued to explain during the ride and as you stepped out of it, then finished before leading you through the Core’s exit. Clearing his throat, he smiled widely. “Now, my darling, the best part of our tour!” 

   Nodding, you followed after him as you exited, and before you was a path made of wooden panels that lead to a pair of glass doors where a large MTT sign hung above them. “Woah, is this your hotel?” you asked. 

   Mettaton didn’t say a word as he took your hand and lead you over to the doors opening one as he held it for you. Walking in, you were immediately met with a light red carpet that lead to a fountain in the middle of the room, and in that fountain was a boxy Mettaton sticking out of the top. Continuing forward, you looked around the room and examined every bit of what you saw; squares of yellow tiled the floor, hallways that split to the left and right of the room, a receptionist desk, another elevator, and two more sets of glass doors-- one set which you assumed lead to the other exit, and the other had a sign hanging above them with ‘MTT’ and a big burger. 

   “Soooooo, what do you think, darling?” 

   Turning on your heel, you flashed a smile at Mettaton who was seated at the edge of the empty fountain. “Wow, Mettaton, it’s amazing. I can’t believe you designed all this! Well, actually I can, but man, I’m really impressed.” Walking back over to Mettaton as you said this, you went to sit down beside him, but he pulled you into his lap instead. As he rested his chin on your head, you spoke up again. “Do you think you’re going to open your own hotel on the surface?”

   Out of excitement, he picked you up off his lap and set your to your feet, standing up and throwing out his arms in a dramatic fashion. “Oh but of course, my dearest! It’s all part of my three year plan~”

   “Three year plan?” you asked, cocking your head to the side.

   “Yes! Sell my cosmetics, open the MTT-Brand to everything else imaginable, open MTT-Emporium, open the hotel! Simple as that~” he threw up his arms in even more excitement. 

   “Um, Mettaton?” 

   “Yes?” he asked, leaning down to you, stars bursting in his visible eye.

   “Uhhh…” you paused, not really wanting to tell him that his plan might be just a  _ little _ unrealistic to accomplish in three years, so you didn’t mention it. “I wish you the best of luck.”

   “Thank you, sweetheart. Now, I have a request.” he stood back up straight, placing his hands at his hips. 

   “What?” 

   “Getting to our next destinations are a little difficult to do in my current form, so I’d like you to flip my switch for me.” he said, turning his back to you, pointing to his switch. 

   “You can easily reach it, why do you want me to do it?” 

   He gasped and looked over his shoulder. “Dear! Flipping my switch is a wonderful moment to experience together!” 

   Rolling your eyes, you put your hand up to it, and flipped it to the other side. As you stepped back, the area was filled with a huge cloud of smoke. A few coughs escaped your mouth as you brought a hand up to wave away the clouds. Once it cleared, taking place of the body that stood over a foot above you, was now a form that was no taller than four feet high. 

   “Hello beautiful! Oh, and hello to you too, sweetheart.” he wiggled a few fingers to you. His voice was different in this form of his, almost as if it was riddled with static. 

   “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen this body.” you responded, looking him up and down.

   “I know, I know, how long? A little over a year, I’d say.” he responded. After you nodded in response, Mettaton proceeded to turn on his wheel and make his way over toward one set of double doors. “Now now, dear! Let’s get going, we still have a few more destinations!” 

   For the next hour, Mettaton lead you through Hotland, specifically to some of his old sets where he filmed some of his old shows. First, a purple set that looked like a fake castle, something Romeo and Juliet-esque, with a fake moon and stars hanging from the ceiling, and a town painted in the distance. He even sent you up the stairs and to the balcony, having you pose a bit so he could take some fun pictures. Afterwards, he lead you to the set of his former cooking show; Cooking with a Killer Robot, and had you pose there, pretending like you were on your own cooking show. You were completely unable to keep a straight face, so every picture he took, you were laughing. After that, Mettaton took you to Alphys’ old lab and inside, it was exactly what you expected; piles of instant noodle cups, books, and anime posters everywhere. There was also a huge hole in the wall where Mettaton explained he burst from for dramatic effect. Once finished inside her lab, Mettaton lead you back outside and began speeding down a stretch of rocky ground, toward a cave off in the distance. 

   “Mettaton, slow down.” you called out.

   The robot spun on his wheel to face you. “Oh, I’m so sorry, darling. I’m just so excited to show you this next part.”

   You let out a gentle laugh and followed after him. Continuing on, he took your hand as you crossed a bridge, a bridge with no railings over a huge pool of lava. Once across the bridge, he picked up the pace and lead you into the cave, and you had to pick up your pace to a slow jog to keep up with him. “Mettaton, slow down.”

   Stopping, he let out a deep, robotic sigh. “Dear, we’re never going to get there at this pace.” Suddenly, he wrapped his arms around your waist and lifted you, seating you on top of him. 

   “Ah! Mettaton!”

   “Dear, just sit up here and we’ll get there in no time.” he replied, zooming forward, his arms were still around you as he made his way down the rocky path.

   “Oh my god!” you replied, wanting to yell at him, but thinking the situation was so silly, that you couldn’t help but laugh. 

   Rolling quickly through an abundance of caves and over another bridge, he stopped before entering another area. “So, sweetie,” he said, lifting you off of him and placing you back on the ground. “this next part is very special and I really wanted to show you.” 

   “O… kay?” you replied hesitantly, but you had no time to act on that apprehension since Mettaton quickly rolled behind you and stretched his arms up, putting his gloved hands over your eyes and gently pushing you forward. A sigh mixed with a giggle escaped your lips as you took a few cautious steps and Mettaton gently nudged you from behind.

   After a few more steps, you suddenly realized you were stepping in about three or four inches of water; this must have been why he had gotten you rainboots. Once you took a few cautious steps forward, Mettaton’s staticy voice spoke up. “Okay darling, here we are~” Taking his hands away from your face, your eyelids fluttered open. Around you was a dark, beautiful cavern, water covered the ground and glowing blue flowers were sprouting everywhere. You explored in awe, examining each small detail of the cavern. The flowers grew from the water-covered ground below, the walls beside you, and even from on ledges above your reach. In addition to the glowing flowers, yellow twinkling lights floated in the air around you. You reached out your hand to touch one, but your hand seemed to almost pass through it. Suddenly being pulled from the daze you didn’t realize you were in, you noticed the sound of water being aggravated behind you. Spinning on your heel, Mettaton was rolling over to you, taking your hand with one of his. Opening your mouth to speak, he quickly put his free hand to his screen, extended a finger and shushed you before you got a chance to say anything. 

   With the hand of yours that he was holding, he gently pulled you down to reach his level and whispered “Remember when I told you about the echo flowers, dear? Put your ear to one of those.” 

   Quickly nodding, you took a few steps and leaned down, putting your ear to one of the flowers. You heard a happy conversation of a young monster talking about how excited they were to finally be able to see the sun. Smiling to yourself, you stepped over to another one and listened to another conversation of the same topic. Standing upright, you turned back to Mettaton, seeing him pointing at another flower. You made your way over and crouched down, putting your ear to it. 

   In a soft echo, the flower said to you; “I love you, darling.” 

   Heat rose to your cheeks and you looked up to Mettaton, who’s screen displayed a heart. Standing back up, you really wanted to hug him, but knew that if you tried, it wouldn’t really work with his boxy form, so you thought of the next best thing. 

   “Are you ready to go?” he whispered.

   Shaking your head, you whispered back. “Does this form of yours have a mouth?”

   He paused, and you fully knew that if he was in his Ex form, he’d be looking at you with an eyebrow raised. “Not… exactly, why?”

   You didn’t verbally respond, just bent over and placed a kiss on his screen, and upon pulling away, a heart flashed between red and yellow. 

   “Oh darling, why do you have to be so adorable?” he asked rhetorically, coiling his arms around you into a hug. 

   Due to your arms being pinned at your waist, you couldn’t hug him back, so you only smiled.

   After he loosened his grip, Mettaton put you back on top of him. Before the two of you made your way out of the cave, you took a picture of the gorgeous room. He then had you pull out a flashlight to illuminate the dark path before you, saying he had no time for puzzles. He talked on and on about how he used to know this pathway like the back of his hand, but it had been such a long time. Once out of the two dark rooms filled with weird puzzles, Mettaton slowed the pace a bit, since the hall you headed through had two waterfalls in it. As Mettaton made his way past them, you stuck your arm out to the side, running your hand through the cascading curtain of water. As Mettaton rolled out of the water, he proceeded down a continuing hall and made a sharp right turn that brought the two of you before a low fence. 

   “What’s this?” you asked, cocking your head to the side. 

   “It’s what used to be the snail farm, dear.” Mettaton said as he placed you onto the ground. 

   Nodding in response, you followed after him as he showed you around the small area that used to hold the snails as well as a snail race track. You then followed him in the other direction and before two homes. You opened your mouth to say something but when you looked over to Mettaton, he was standing before one of the houses, motionless. Furrowing your brow, you took a few steps over to him, placing a hand on the top of his box form. 

   Mettaton jerked a bit upon feeling your touch “Oh, what is it, dear?” 

   “Are you alright, Mettaton?”

   “Yes, yes, of course, darling. Now, let me show you where Blooky used to live.” Mettaton replied, wheeling over to the door of the house on the left. He turned the knob and proceeded to let you inside first.

   You walked in and glanced around, all that was inside was an old computer monitor that sat on a low table, a television, and a fridge. “Did Napstablook take all of their stuff with them?” You asked. 

   “Oh, no, this is basically what it looked like before.” 

   A chuckle escaped your lips. “Wow, even their simplicity stays in their new apartment.” 

   “Exactly dear. I want them to branch out a bit, but they never listen.” He then spun so his back was to you. “Dear, do you mind flipping my switch again?” 

   Leaning down a bit, you flipped it for him, and smoke filled the room; you waving it away you spoke. “Mettaton, why did you go back to that form, again? You said it was easier to maneuver on just a single wheel than walking around on two feet?”

   Mettaton stood there in all his towering height, posing with a hand on his hip. “Well yes, but it wasn’t only that, I didn’t want to scuff up my boots.” he pointed.

   You only responded with a shake of your head and a roll of your eyes. 

   “Now, c’mon, one more stop.” he said, beckoning you with a hand as he walked out the door. 

   You followed after him, stopping to close the door behind you, and once you did, Mettaton was standing in front of the other home, the one beside Napstablook’s. He was just kind of... staring at it, not going to open it or anything, just… staring. 

   “Mettaton? Is everything alright?” you asked, walking over to him. 

   There was a pause before he unneededly cleared his throat, then held a gloved hand out to you. “May I have my makeup bag, dear?”

   “Oh, yeah, sure.” you replied, sliding your backpack off your shoulders and opening it, proceeding to rummage through it to find his pink, glittery, makeup clutch. “Here you are.” you said, handing it to him when you found it. 

   Mettaton gently took it from your grasp, and unzipping it, he took out a pink key with a star on it’s end. He went to put the key into its lock, but paused before doing so-- pausing for a rather long moment before unlocking it, and after, moved out of the way to let you in first. 

   You took a few steps into the dark room, and Mettaton followed in after, flipping on a light switch to reveal a pink room that was undoubtedly Mettaton’s. Pink star patterns covered the walls, curtains, poster, area rug, and pillow on the bed, and practically everything else was pink. “Oh wow, Mettaton, this is adora- what are these books on the floor?” you cut yourself off, pointing to the 6 books laid out on the floor. 

   A moment passed and Mettaton didn’t answer.

   “Mettaton?” you asked again, turning to him. He was standing a few feet away, not facing you, but facing the wall. “... Mettaton?” you asked again.

   “Dear… I… Please read the diaries on the floor, left to right if you would… Aloud or not, it doesn’t matter.”

   “Oh, um, okay.” You nodded, going over to the leftmost diary and picking it up. You opened to the first page, reading what was written about Shyren’s sister. You frowned to yourself, and turned to the next page, but didn’t see anything else written, so you moved on to the next diary. Reading the next one, you giggled softly, reading about how he loved to collect diaries. Continuing to the third one, you paused after what you read, and you didn’t like where things were going. You continued to read the next three diaries, and once you were done, you looked over to Mettaton, who’s head was tilted toward the floor, and beads of oil were trickling down his face. 

   “M-Mettaton?” you stammered, walking over to him. 

   “Dear, I hate myself, I can’t forgive myself for what I’ve done to my poor cousin.” he choked out.

   “Hey, hey, shhh.” You reached up to his face, cupping his cheeks with your hands. “Mettaton, don’t beat yourself up over that.”

   “What?” he snapped, pulling away from you. “Dear, this has been eating away at me for as long as I can remember. I can’t just stop.”

   Frowning, you took his hand and lead him over to the bed. Climbing on, you patted beside you and he proceeded to make himself comfortable next to you. “Mettaton,” you started. “You’re trying your best to make up for it, right?”

   “I am, I’ve spent the past three years trying to be the best cousin I can be, but, I feel as though they still hate me.” 

   You wrapped your arms around him, pulling him into a tight hug. “No, they don’t. Well, I mean... Mettaton, this might not be what you want to hear, but the truth hurts, I know that more than anyone. You leaving them, that was a really bad thing to do, and they might not ever recover from it, but what you  _ can  _ do now, is show them that you’re sorry, and show them how much you have changed since then. You’re so much different now, and I’m positive that they’ve seen how sorry you are.”

   Mettaton nodded in response and proceeded to rest his head on your shoulder, wrapping his arms around you. Smiling, you placed a soft kiss on his cheek, and the two of you proceeded to cuddle for a while, before a question that had popped into your head earlier, resurfaced. 

   “Hey Mettaton?”

   “Hm?” he hummed.

   “Was there an underlying reason why you wanted to take me into the Underground today?” you asked.

   “Well, it was a year ago today that I picked up that stuff at the library for Alphys, so I saw today as an anniversary of sorts.” 

   Warmness pricked your cheeks as you realized this. “W-What? Really?”

   “Mmhmm.”

   “And… why did you want to show me your old home?”

   “Well, you’ve shared so much of yourself to me, that I wanted to share myself to you, or well, what I used to be.”

   “Well, thank you for sharing.” you replied, placing a gentle kiss on his lips. 

 

   “Thank you for listening, sweetheart.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I LIVE (I die, I live again) But really tho, sorry its been over half a month since my last update. School is just so draining, ugh, I'm so sorry.
> 
> Anyway, so much in this chapter! Underground! Mettaton's Beta form! Echo Flowers! METTATON'S GUILT!!! 
> 
> This was an important chapter to write, I also need more fluff before something great happens.
> 
> ~~~~  
> My Mettaton Askblog: http://1-800-mtt.tumblr.com/
> 
> If you want talk about the fic or make any fanart or whatever, hmu! Ive changed my tumblr url to demisexualmettaton.tumblr.com, so, if you still end up going to koalolive, it should have a message to redirect you there!  
> But please, if you can, if you're going to tag or @ me, along with demisexualmettaton, please include koalolive with it, so that when I switch back, I'll still be able to find things with one tag! Also, tag it as 'undertale bookmarks' because thats helpful and what I tag all my stuff as. ALSO, YOU GUYS DON'T NEED TO ASK ME IF YOU CAN DRAW FANART, I WILL OPENLY ACCEPT ALL OF IT!!!
> 
> Thanks for taking the time to read. If you have any general comments, critique, or suggestions, don't hesitate to leave a comment. I would really appreciate suggestions of any kind.


	37. Forever

The holidays rolled past in almost an instant; Hanukkah, Christmas, New Years; each was celebrated to the fullest. For Hanukkah, Papyrus and Sans invited everyone over, having each person pitch in to help make a traditional dinner, but with so many hands trying to help out at once, all that was made was a huge mess, resulting in Toriel and Mettaton swooping in at the last second to fix everything. Christmas was treated the same way as it was the year prior, Mettaton inviting the whole gang to his apartment for a casual party and present opening, and unlike Hanukkah, it went off without a hitch. Well, other than Mettaton chasing his beloved partner around the apartment with a mistletoe and almost knocking down the entire Christmas tree.

  New Year's Eve, well, nothing like the year prior. No big announcements to be made, no big party, just a calm, quiet evening spent at a small studio apartment, on the couch, and a cute couple shoveling Chinese food into their mouths. And this year, well, the robot made sure to be right by his significant other’s side when the clock struck midnight, placing a passionate kiss on their lips (that may or may not have escalated in Mettaton leaving as many hickeys on their partner’s neck, collar, and shoulders, adjacent to the number of the new year).

  Now, there was another event being celebrated; Frisk turning 11. It was mid January and Frisk, for one reason or another, decided that they wanted to go bowling for their birthday-- so, Toriel was able to rent out two lanes at the end of the alley for the small party that consisted of the usual bunch. About a half an hour ago, the party finished eating lunch (comprised of pizza, chips, and soda), and everyone was broken up into two separate groups to use both lanes. 

  “Hey, Mettaton!” 

  Pulling the bottle of sparkling citrus mineral water from his lips, he glanced over to his partner, whom was holding a large purple bowling ball in their hand. Swallowing, he answered “What is it, darling?” 

  They proceeded to flash a smile and wink at him, holding up their free hand in the ‘peace’ sign. “Wish me luck.”

  Even if he wanted to, he couldn’t stop the corner of his mouth as it curled into a gentle smirk in response to their words. 

  They turned away, walking over to the empty lane next to where Alphys was currently standing, attempting to calculate the trajectory of her ball so it wouldn’t land in the gutter. Rolling their eyes, they drew their arm back and proceeded to release the ball from their fingertips and let it roll toward the pins. 

  Little did they know, their boyfriend was watching every move they made with a sickeningly saccharine gaze. He was just so enthralled by them doing something as miniscule as just standing there waiting to see where their ball would end up, that he didn’t really see anything else of what was going on around them (which was Papyrus encouraging Undyne to shove 4 pieces of pizza into her mouth at once, Frisk laughing so hard that soda flew out their nose, and Toriel tending to the child cringing from the horrid sensation). Suddenly, Mettaton felt a bony elbow nudge his waist and absentmindedly hummed in response. 

  “Buddy, you ain’t slick.”

  The robot jerked his head in confusion toward the small skeleton beside him. 

  “When are you gonna do it?”

  “Do… what, Sans?” Mettaton was in a complete state of bewilderment.

  The skeleton’s smile somehow grew even cheekier than normal. “Pop the question.”

  “WHAT?!”

  Hearing their boyfriend yelp out from a few feet away, the human whipped around to face the small group, looking at the robot in particular. “Hey, is everything okay over there?”

  Not realizing that his jaw was hung slack, he looked over his shoulder at them, waving a hand dismissively. “Yeah, honey, all good, go back and do your thing.” 

  “O… kay.” they replied, turning back to the look at the pins yet to be knocked over. 

  As quickly as they weren’t looking over in his direction anymore, Mettaton turned to Sans, leaned down to his eye level, and spoke in a harsh whisper, “Sans, what the  **_hell_ ** are you talking about?!”

  Completely unphased, Sans replied in a nonchalant manner, “C’mon buddy, you know you’re thinking about it.” 

  A sigh escaped the robot’s lips as he sat back up and proceeded to lean his back against the bench. “Well… it’s not like I haven’t thought about it.”

  “Well, there ya go.”

  “It’s a big commitment. And, well… I haven’t even thought about when, or if, or… I mean, I love them-”

  “Mettaton,” Sans cut him off. “Do you even realize how you’re looking at them?” 

  The robot paused, letting the skeleton’s words sink in a moment, before looking over to his partner. He could only see the back of them, but they were currently standing with one hand on their hip, another holding their ball, with all their weight on one leg. He was thinking about how they were probably doing that cute thing they do when they bite their bottom lip and furrow their brows, as they’re lost in thought. Another smile crept onto his mouth as he thought about it, but not even a second had passed before his lips pursed out of bitterness, realizing that Sans might be right. 

~~~

  “Hey, Mettaton, do you wanna watch Leap Year or The Princess Bride?” 

  Mettaton glanced over at his partner from the kitchen where he was making popcorn. The two had arrived back at his apartment not even 15 minutes ago and decided to relax with a rom-com before bed. It was a bit surprising to know that the two somehow hadn't watched every romantic comedy in existence yet. 

  “Darling, how many times have we watched The Princess Bride?” 

  “Um… I'm gonna go with two?” 

  “Six, darling. The two of us have watched the movie six times.” 

  They simply responded with a cheeky smile. 

  “Leap Year, you were just telling me not even a week ago about how it looked… What were the words you used?”

  “Like a movie with the perfect amount of cheese while still being pretty bad. Like, you know, more funny than romantic but still being pretty average.”

  “Yes dear, that.” 

  “Alright alright.” they said with a playful roll of their eyes. 

  Mettaton made his way over to them with a large bowl of popcorn in hand and sat beside them on the couch. They shifted so their back was against the arm and Mettaton lifted the bowl above his head as they rested their legs over his lap. He then set the bowl on his partners lap and glanced over at them. 

  “What?” they asked. 

  “Nothing, dear. I just think it's interesting how we always position ourselves like this, it’s like clockwork.” 

  They giggled and nodded. “Yeah, and it's only when I'm over here, too. We just kinda snuggle when we’re at my place.” 

  Mettaton just smiled as they picked up the remote and selected the movie. He wiggled a bit on the couch, getting himself comfortable, and looked up at the tv screen. Reaching his hand over, he went to grab some popcorn from the bowl on his partner’s lap, but his metallic hand met soft skin. A smirk painted his lips and he gently intertwined their fingers with his.

  “Hey, Mettaton~ C’mon, all I want is some buttery popcorn, not your fingers.” they whined. 

  “But I want yours.” he teased, glancing down at them. 

  “Mettaton, that’s gross.”

  He chuckled and pulled their hand up to meet his mouth, gently kissing their knuckles. Once he saw their eyes widen a bit, and could slightly feel the temperature of their body heat up, he smirked a bit more, loving when he was able to embarrass them. 

  They turned their head back to the movie and he finally let go of their hand, the two resuming to eat some popcorn. 

  The scene on the screen currently displayed a couple sitting at a dinner table, and the man slid a box over to the woman, and Mettaton felt his fans begin to slightly pick up. He brought a fist to his mouth and unneedingly let out a dry cough to cover it. Then once the woman opened the box, inside was not what would have obviously been an engagement ring, but a pair of earrings. 

  Mettaton glanced down to his significant other, and feeling his eyes, they looked up to him. 

  “What?” they asked.

  “I don’t think I asked you what this movie was about, dear. What’s the plot?”

  “Oh uh.” Glancing back to the screen, they paused the movie, and exited it, showing the plot as the read it out loud. “Anna chooses February 29 to propose marriage to her boyfriend, but after meeting a charming innkeeper, she must evaluate her original plans.”

  “So… It’s all about a proposal.” 

  “Yeah, is that… okay?” they asked, raising an eyebrow. 

  “Oh but of course, we’ve watched movies with proposals all the time.” he chuckled.

  “Okay.” they replied with a nod, turning their head back to the tv, pressing play again. 

  Mettaton also looked back to the screen, but he now couldn’t concentrate on a single moment. His mind started to wander, as it had been since earlier in the evening, due to Sans’ words. It seemed as if every conversation he had with his partner always led to Mettaton over thinking the future of their relationship. For instance, their simple comment from earlier made him wonder what it would be like if they weren’t separated between their two apartments, but if they lived under one roof. What if he asked them to move in with him? Should he ask them to move in with him before he decides to ask for their hand? If he did, how long should he wait? But if he didn’t, they could always just move in after he proposes. But if they did move in with him, would they stay in his apartment, or would they move somewhere? 

  “Mettaton?” 

  “Hm?” he glanced down.

  “You okay? You seem a little spacy.”

  He waved a hand. “Oh but of course dear, my battery is a little low, but it’s nothing to worry about.” he lied. 

  “Do you want to just stop the movie and go to bed?” they frowned.

  “No, no. I said not to worry, dear.” he smiled. 

  They just nodded and looked back to the screen, watching what was happening and Mettaton lifted his head as well, but his mind immediately had other plans. 

  It went back to where it was before; living together. He had plans of building his hotel within the next couple of years, so, maybe they would move to the penthouse? But what if they didn’t want to have that type of living style? Maybe they could go to a house outside the city; surely they would want something small, but he wouldn’t have that, bigger is better. Maybe they could go house hunting with them, and find a house that would appease both of their tastes. Or better yet, he could build their dream house together. He’d never really asked them what type of house they would want to live in, but he knew it would be perfect no matter what they wanted. 

  What about pets? Would the two have animals? Maybe a cat? Or a dog maybe, one of those big fluffy ones? Reptiles? Birds? Rodents? Oh he would beg them to get a chinchilla, he was able to pet one once, the softest thing he had ever laid his hands on (well, aside from the sweet embrace of his partner). 

  His mind strayed to living in this gorgeous house with them, and every night, every  _ single _ night, he would cook them dinner, well, aside from the nights he would insist on them helping him cook. Thoughts of them cooking together flooded his head, but then the scenario went downhill when they almost catch the house on fire and their hypothetical dog is just jumping and barking all over the place, plates are crashing and everything turns into a complete disaster. He couldn’t help but audibly laugh at the thought of it. 

  “You okay up there?” he heard them ask. 

  Looking down to meet their gaze, he just smiled. “Yeah, sorry, darling. My mind kind of wandered for a moment.” 

  They cocked their head in curiosity. “To what?”

  “Just how invested you are in this movie.” he chuckled. 

  They puffed out their cheeks. “Whatever.” Proceeding to cross their arms, they pouted and looked away. 

  Another chuckle escaped his lips and he moved the bowl of popcorn away from their lap and set it on the coffee table in front of them.

  “Hey, what are-”

  Cutting them off, he took their hips and pulled them so they were sitting on his lap. “Lay down with me.”

  They proceeded to let out a flustered “Okay.”

  The two repositioned themselves so they were laying on the couch together and Mettaton took the blanket that hung over the back of the couch, proceeding to lay it over the two of them. His partner snuggled up to him and he snuggled back as they both of them looked back to the tv. 

  In this moment, Mettaton couldn’t think of a single negative scenario that would cause him to rethink his decision. He was going to ask for their hand, he wanted them to be with him.

 

  Forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, ya'll didn't have to wait another fucking month for me to upload. 
> 
> But um, yeah, so, this is something that's happening. :3c
> 
> Also, are any of you guys going to Anime Boston in two weeks? I'll be there cosplaying as Burgerpants and Alphys, I'd really like to meet some of you guys!
> 
> ~~~~  
> Hit me up on tumblr at demisexualmettaton.tumblr.com  
> But please, if you can, if you're going to tag or @ me, along with demisexualmettaton, please include koalolive with it, so that when I switch back, I'll still be able to find things with one tag! Also, tag it as 'undertale bookmarks' because thats helpful and what I tag all my stuff as. ALSO, YOU GUYS DON'T NEED TO ASK ME IF YOU CAN DRAW FANART, I WILL OPENLY ACCEPT ALL OF IT!!!
> 
> Thanks for taking the time to read. If you have any general comments, critique, or suggestions, don't hesitate to leave a comment. I would really appreciate suggestions of any kind.


	38. Eternity

   Feeling the absence of warmth, you began to stir awake, wondering why you didn't feel your boyfriend's weird, metal, noodle arms coiled around you. Your eyes fluttered open, seeing the morning sunbeams creeping through the curtains and hitting the floor. You pulled yourself upright and looked around the large, pink bedroom, but he was nowhere to be found. Lifting your head, you sniffed the air to see if he might have been making breakfast for you, and you  _ did _ smell something, but far too faint for him to be in the middle of cooking. How late was it? Had he made you food and just waited around until you decided to wake up?

  Reaching for your phone on the bedside table, you looked at the screen, seeing it display the date and time; February 14th, 9:34 a.m. You furrowed your brow and climbed out of the bed, making your way toward the door. Once you opened it, outside the door was a trail of rose petals leading over to Mettaton’s dining room table. On it was a wonderful spread of food, a huge bouquet of flowers, and a pink, glittery envelope sticking out of the flowers. 

  “What the…” you spoke aloud, following the runway lined by the petals. As you got to the table, you plucked the card from it's clip and gently opened it, pulling out a pink piece of stationery folded thrice. Sliding out a chair and sitting down, you looked over the words written on the paper as you piled a couple of pancakes onto an empty plate. 

 

‘Happy Valentine’s Day, darling! 

I want to play a cute little game with you,

Around the apartment you’ll have to keep looking,

For an outfit, sparkling like new.’

 

  “Really, Mettaton? Rhymes?” you asked with a raise of an eyebrow and a roll of your eyes. You replaced the paper with a fork and began eating some of the pancakes as you pulled your cellphone out of your pocket, sending a text to your boyfriend; asking him where he was and what the hell was going on.  It took a while for Mettaton to reply, and by the time he did, you had finished your breakfast and were in the middle of putting all of the leftovers into tupperware containers. Picking up the phone that had vibrated against the tabletop, you opened the message and all that was in there, was a single wink emoji. 

  Pursing your lips, you picked up the paper and read it over again. Where was this letter sending you? His closet, maybe, because of the 'outfit' thing? The words of the letter repeated through your mind as you finished putting all of the leftovers away. Surely he wasn't just sitting in his closet, waiting for you to find him. Scratch that, that seems exactly like the kind of thing he would do. 

  Once finished cleaning up, you turned on your heel, making your way back into the bedroom and over to his closet. Swinging the door open (half expecting to see your boyfriend), hanging in the middle of the walk-in, was an outfit hanging with another envelope taped to the top of the hanger. A sigh escaped your lips as you stepped over to it and took the envelope, opening it. 

 

“Oh, dearest, I hope you love this outfit as much as I do,

and I’m glad we have so much compatibility,

so put this on, I know you want to,

Oh! Then go look on my vanity!”  

 

  A small giggle escaped your lips but then your eyes trailed down to the bottom of the paper where there was something small written.

 

“Darling, you have no idea how hard it was to find something good that rhymed with ‘vanity.’”

 

  This time you burst with laughter. What on earth was this guy planning? Was he trying to make some huge over the top gesture for Valentine’s this year? Because of what he put you through last year? You wouldn’t put it past him. 

  Without objection (as if there even was a way for you to), you changed into the outfit Mettaton had picked out for you, and took care of anything else you needed to before heading over to his vanity. Sitting on top of it was an envelope that you were surprised you hadn’t noticed earlier. Leaning down, you pulled out the little stool and took a seat before opening the sparkly letter. Taking out the paper, your eyes scanned his next weird attempt at poetry. 

 

“Honey, won’t you put on the MTT-Brand Attraction Slime? 

And then to your feet you must arise, 

hurry out the door so you can make great time

to where we sat and watched the fireflies.”

 

  A smile gently spread across your lips when you read the note. Setting the paper down, you plucked the bottle from where it sat amongst all his other cosmetic bottles, and dabbed the slimy substance behind your ears. You set it back as you got to your feet, taking the note with you.

  Your mind began to wonder as you put on the jacket Mettaton had set aside for you, and grabbed your bag, sliding the three notes you had acquired into it. You didn’t want to end up wherever Mettaton was sending you without them, in case he needed all of them for something. But where  _ were _ you being sent? Yes to the park in this very moment, but where was the end result going to take you? Maybe a cute restaurant for a nice dinner? Or maybe lunch, since it was only about 10:30. But nonetheless, you were excited for whatever was in store. 

~~~

  It didn’t take that long for you to get to the park, maybe 15 minutes at most, and you walked over to the bench the two of you sat upon the night you watched the cute little bugs. Looking around, there had to be a note around, somewhere, but at first glance you didn’t see anything. Crossing your arms, you pursed your lips in mild aggravation, that is, until your eyes shifted upward. 

  Despite it being mid-morning, the lamp above the bench was lit, the dead bulb had been replaced, and there was a bow wrapped around it's glass enclosure. Along with the lamp wrapped up like a present, another envelope was taped to the pole. You cracked a smile and climbed up onto the bench in order to reach the envelope, and once you were able to grab it, you hopped off the bench and took a seat. You broke the seal and gently pulled out the paper, reading the next riddle written in the center. 

 

“Good, you found the clue above!

I had the light fixed after all,

your next destination is filled with love

it’s where you spend all your time at the mall.”

 

  “At the mall?” you asked aloud, proceeding to bite your bottom lip. “Where do I- wait, Lush?” 

  That had to be it. Lush. You never really went to anywhere else in the mall. So, that’s where you set off to. You got to your feet and as you walked, you slid the note you had just acquired into your bag with the others. Making your way through the park, you pulled your cellphone out of your pocket, checking to see if Mettaton had tried to contact you; but he hadn’t. Looking up from your phone, you found yourself practically running down the park’s pathway. Stopping, you shook your head. What were you rushing for? Whatever this huge thing was leading up to, had to be worth the wait. Taking a deep breath, you walked at a slow pace out of the park and down the sidewalk toward the mall. 

  As you entered the shopping center, it was filled with people bustling around, and and you proceeded to make a beeline for Lush on the second floor. As you did, you kept your cellphone in your hand, looking down at it practically every ten seconds. You ended up texting him; asking him what he was planning and what was _really_ going on, because the suspense was killing you.  But, all he sent back was three emojis; the wink with the tongue sticking out, the wink with blowing a kiss, and a yellow heart. 

  You let out a gentle sigh as you slid your phone back into your jacket pocket and entered the busy cosmetic store. Standing behind the counter was the tree-like monster you had grown close to in the last year or so. Your eyes met and a huge smile spread across their lips. 

  “Hey! Oh my gosh! Get your butt over here!” they called, gesturing with a hand. 

  Your brow furrowed as you made your way over, and as you did, they suddenly pulled a huge Lush bag out from behind the counter. 

  “I have something for you.” they smiled, handing you the bag.

  “Um…” you pursed your lips, taking it and peeking into the bag. Inside was a whole bunch of bath bombs and some other products, along with another note. Glancing up to them, they were smiling expectantly. “Hey, um, this is from Mettaton, right?”

  They nodded excitedly. 

  Setting the bag down on the floor, you reached in and pulled out the envelope, then looked back to them. “You wouldn’t happen to know why? Would you?”

  “Nope, not a clue.” they smiled more. “Probably some Valentine’s Day surprise though, right?” they shrugged.

  “Yeah… probably.” you nodded, unsealing the letter and reading what was written. 

 

“Please enjoy these Lush products, my dear,

and hear out my next plea,

the next destination is nothing to fear,

it is the very place you confessed to me.”

 

  “Hmm…” you hummed aloud. 

  “The place you told him you loved him.” a voice said from over your shoulder. 

  “Huh?” you looked up, seeing the monster merely inches from your face. 

  “You have to go to the place where you confessed your love to him, duh~” they smiled. 

  “Oh, right, that makes sense.” you replied with a nod. 

  “Oh gosh, this is just so exciting! You’ll have to tell me what happens, okay? Pleeeease?” clasping their hands together, they begged.

  “Okay, okay, I will.” you smiled as you slid the note into your bag, and picking up the Lush bag, you waved goodbye, heading out. 

  Taking a deep breath, you headed for the nearest exit, wondering if this was the end of the weird little scavenger hunt. This  _ was _ where you confessed after all. 

  But to your surprise, upon getting to the library, you didn’t see Mettaton standing out front. What you did see, was a completely different surprise. On the window of the library was a huge piece of paper, covering the Valentine’s mural you had painted a month prior, and on it was a mural painted in a very crude manner, almost exactly like the one you had painted two Christmases ago. The only differences (besides the quality), were the signatures of all your friends surrounding the paper, and two figures added to the middle of it, you and Mettaton, kissing in a flurry of snow. 

  Bringing your hands up, you buried your mouth and nose into them, feeling tears prick the corners of your eyes. You couldn’t believe what you were seeing, Mettaton was going to such great lengths to do whatever it was he was planning, and you couldn’t believe the thoughtfulness he was putting into this. 

  You wiped the tears from your eyes with one hand, and with the other, took the envelope that was taped to the window below the paper. 

 

“I hope this looks almost the same,

I think it looks rather quaint, 

now another destination to continue the game,

a place covered in purple paint.”

 

  “How in god's name did he get into my apartment?" you asked with a furrow of your brow. Picking up your things and sliding the note into your bag, you began walking in the direction of your home. As you did, you felt a gentle smile resting upon your lips. With each destination and clue to the next, it made your heart thump softly in your chest. With each passing moment making you more and more excited to see Mettaton at the end of it all.

  As you made it to the stairs of your apartment, you realized you had a bit of a skip to your step. Had you been walking like this since you left the library? Taking a deep breath you made your way up to the fourth floor and to your apartment door. You pulled out your keys and unlocked the door, stepping into the purple painted studio.  Looking around, nothing looked all that different, so you immediately thought you had gone to the wrong place, but as you took a few steps inside, you almost tripped over something. Shifting your eyes downward, you saw a paint can sitting on the floor and another envelope sitting on top of it.

  You let out a sigh as you leaned down to pick up the letter. “Why the hell would he leave it in the middle of the floor?” Your eyes scanned the paper once you got it out of the envelope. 

 

“Honey! You found the paint can!

Well, it was right in front of your door, 

now to someone who is your biggest fan, 

and where you fell asleep on their floor.”

 

  This one seemed a little tricky. What did he mean? A fan of yours? And you've fallen asleep on plenty of floors. You took a few steps over to your couch and plopped yourself down, trying to think of what this riddle could be. 

  You sat there for a good 10 minutes but you couldn't think of an answer. Maybe you could bug Mettaton for some type of hint, so, you texted him. Begging him to give you a hint, even if it was a small one, since you had been sitting around and hand no idea what it could be.  It took a few minutes before he responded. And he simply responded with another emoji; the ghost. 

  “A ghost? What does- Napstablook! Of course it's them!” you exclaimed, jumping to your feet. 

  You decided to leave the huge bag from Lush at your apartment and just slid the letter into your bag. You quickly made your way out of your apartment and rushed down the four flights of stairs, practically tripping every few moments. You got out of the building and rushed down the street toward the tall, luxury, apartment building. 

  Of course the clue was Napstablook. They were the biggest fan of your art by default, seeing as how no one else aside from them continued to commission you for such important work. You were so grateful of course, and happy that they were both a fan and your friend. Also, you  _ did _ fall asleep on their floor. 

  You made it to the 30 story building and entered it, making your way toward the elevator. Once inside you practically slammed your hand against the 29th button, accidentally hitting another button in your rush. 

  “Dammit.” you cursed. 

  You finally made it to the 29th floor and made your way down the hall, quickly tapping your knuckles against the door. 

  You felt your foot tap against the floor unconsciously as you waited for them to open the door. Once they did, you smiled sweetly and waved hello to the ghost. “Hey, Naps.” 

  “Oh, hello.” they replied with a patient smile, floating out of the way to let you inside. 

  “I was supposed to come here, right?” you asked, looking around the inside of their apartment. 

  “Yeah.” they responded, floating over to the small coffee table in the middle of their living room. “Metta… asked me to give this to you.” they said, picking up the next envelope. 

  “Do you have any idea what's going on?” you asked. 

  “What… do you mean?” they asked in response, handing you the letter. 

  “I mean, do you know what Mettaton’s doing with all of this?” you questioned, making a vague gesture with your hands. 

  “Isn't… It Valentine's Day?” 

  “Yeah, but, it's his birthday too. Why is he giving me the surprises?” 

  Napstablook didn’t really respond so you took that as a clue that they were completely clueless. So, you opened the letter. 

 

“You got to Blooky’s, good for you!

And so I will continue to entice, 

our little game is almost through,

now to the place I gave you important advice.”

 

  “What does it say?” Napstablook asked from over your shoulder. 

  “I need to go somewhere where he gave me advice…” 

  “Do… you know where that is?” 

  “I… I think I do.” you replied with a nod. “Thank you for the help, Napstablook. I'm gonna head out now, I'll see you later.” 

  “I hope… Everything turns out okay.” they smiled, opening the door for you.

  “I have a feeling it will.” a bright smile spread across your cheeks.

  Leaving the huge building, you found yourself practically running down the street, headed for where you hoped the next clue was. A long time ago, when the two of you were first getting to know each other, you sat and talked in a coffee shop, well, more like he just kind of sat himself down across from you. You remembered that at the time, you couldn't get him out of your mind, and now here you were, rushing down the street, following some weird Valentine’s Day scavenger hunt. 

  You got to the door of it and took a deep breath before opening it. Inside it was pretty busy, as it normally was, and your eyes scanned the large room. Your eyes darted over toward the table you had sat down at that day, and to your surprise, it was roped off, and sitting on top of it was a paper cup and another sparkly pink envelope. 

  “That's for you.” spoke a voice. 

  Glancing over, the monster behind the counter was pointing to the table. 

  “Huh?” 

  “It's for you, from Mettaton.” they said. 

  “Oh, uh, thanks.” you nodded shyly, feeling all eyes in the cafe on you. Taking a few steps over, you picked up the cup; it was exactly like that day, it had your name on it. A smile spread across your lips. Also, what surprised you was that the cup was still warm, no, it was hot. 

  Glancing over to the barista, they were watching you. Clearing your throat you asked, “Um, how long has it been since he was here?”  

  They gave you an apologetic look. “Sorry, he told me not to tell you.” 

  “Worth a shot.” you spoke rhetorically. Proceeding to set down the cup and pick up the envelope, you opened it and read the contents. 

 

“You remembered our encounter in the cafe! 

Now that this part is all set, 

we’re nearing the end of the day,

go to the place where we first met.”

 

  Being anything but graceful, you put the letter into your bag and picked up the cup. You waved goodbye to the barista and made your way out of the cafe. As soon as you stepped out into the chilled February air, your legs picked up their pace, bounding toward the library. 

  Getting about 20 feet away, you slowed down and stopped in front of the building. You rested a hand on your chest, catching your breath, then taking a sip of the hot chocolate from your paper cup that you somehow hadn't dropped in your rush. Glancing over to the front window, the paper mural was gone and the window was there again, painted with the white, red, and pink you had covered it with. Your eyes shifted to the front door and the book return bin beside it. Below the hole of the book drop opening, was taped another glittery envelope. You stepped over and took the envelope, setting your cup down on top of the bin. You opened the letter and read the words on the paper. 

 

“On this bin you hit your head,

It almost seems like yesterday,

seeing you in pain filled me with dread, 

but out of embarrassment, you turned away.

 

Sweetheart, you’re almost at the end,

I hope that you had fun, 

I’m sorry the whole day I couldn’t spend,

and watch you light up like the sun,

 

So please, take off your coat,

go inside, 

please read the final note,

and get ready for a ride.”

 

  This was the longest one, and you felt your stomach fill with butterflies. Opening the door and stepping inside, you looked around as you unbuttoned your coat. It was empty, barren, not a soul to be found. You set your coat on the rack by the door and glanced around the library again for something pink and glittery; but you didn’t see a letter anywhere. The only thing that struck you as kind of odd, was that the return bin was sitting in the center of the room, and not beside the front desk as it usually was.  Furrowing your brow, you walked over to it, and sitting on it, was a single book. The book sitting there was a molecular physics book. It took a few moments before you realized that this was one of the books that Mettaton had picked up for Alphys when the two of you first  _ really _ met, this, and some absurd amount of manga. 

  Opening the front hardcover, you saw a piece of glittery pink paper sitting there, but it was too thin to be a letter. You realized it was a bookmark, and at the bottom of it was a black ribbon.  Picking up the bookmark, you looked at it curiously. Did Mettaton put it there? Maybe there was another hint or something written on the back. So, you flipped it over, and there  _ was _ something on the back; four words in black script, reading, 

 

“Will you marry me?”

 

  It took a moment before what was written on the bookmark really sunk in. As a result to realizing what was going on, you felt your mouth go dry, your breathing unsteady, and your heart beat faster. Was this for real? Was Mettaton really asking you to marry him? Was-

  Your thoughts were cut off by hearing a robotic cough from behind you. 

  Taking a deep breath, you slowly turned to face the figure behind you. Mettaton was there, down on one knee, in a white suit, accented with pink and red, and in his hand, he held an open ring box. Your eyes shifted slightly and you met his gaze, he was looking at you with the biggest, warmest smile you had ever seen, and you could see on his face that he was trying to compose himself; in this moment, he was trying to be serious, but he couldn’t stop a small giggle that escaped his lips. 

  You on the other hand, couldn’t stop the waterfalls pouring from your eyes as soon as you saw him down on one knee. Covering your mouth with your hands, you sobbed and began laughing as you did. Taking a few steps forward, you nodded, then proceeded to practically fall onto him, wrapping your arms around his neck. 

  Beneath you, he stood up, wrapping his arms around your waist, and spinning you as the two of you laughed. After a moment, he set you down and took your arms from around his neck, taking your left hand into his, and slid the ring onto your ring finger. As he did, you continued bawling and tried to regain some of your composure. Quickly, you took his head into your hands and pulled his face to yours, pressing your lips against his, wrapping your arms around his neck again. 

 

  The two of you kissed and held each other in the library for almost an hour after that. 

 

  You lied on the couch atop Mettaton, cuddled up closely to him as you squinted at the ring on your finger. 

  “Dear, are you still looking at the ring?” his voice spoke up.

  “Maybe.” you replied. 

  “You’ll hurt your eyes if you try to do that in this lighting.” he said, leaning down and kissing the bridge of your nose, between your eyes. 

  “I have the light from the television.” you giggled, pointing to the movie playing on the tv. A robotic sigh escaped his lips and you snuggled up to him. You paused and glanced to meet his gaze. “Mettaton?”

  “Hm?” 

  “Why today? How did you do it? I never thought-”

  You were cut off by his lips meeting yours.

  “Darling.” he spoke softly once he pulled away. 

  “Y-Yeah?” you blushed.

   Mettaton glanced away toward the television and paused the movie that was currently playing, then proceeded move so the both of you were sitting upright. He took your hands gently and looked deeply into your eyes with his glowing, pink ones. "Dear, I had a little speech prepared earlier, but I was too excited to tell you, I just couldn't compose myself long enough to even look serious, let alone tell you a whole novel about how much I love you. So, is it alright if I tell you now?"

   Feeling your cheeks flush and your stomach knot in anticipation, you nodded. 

   "So, I know our first meeting wasn't when we started speaking to one another, considering I was just the kind of robot with an overinflated ego, dreading being dragged by Alphys to the library on the days I had maintenance check-ups. Yet, I'm glad that's not how we started off, because I have a feeling you would have absolutely hated me. To be completely honest, that day I was running errands for Alphys, I was in a horrible mood, I had just been denied an additional half hour to my show, little did they know I'd get it anyway, and I was completely impatient to just get out of the public eye, hence me ringing that bell 13 times. Anyway, so there you scurried along and let me tell you, the moment you walked into my field of vision, I was instantly intrigued. You were so small and timid at first, little did I know you were exploding with personality. And, well, even if it wasn't the most glamorous first encounter, I'll never forget it, ever." he smiled, leaning in and placing a gentle kiss on your forehead. 

   "Dearest, I'm going to be honest with you, if it weren't for Sans, I would have never realized that this was the right time. Well, let me explain. So a couple months ago I just had a random inkling of a thought, maybe I should ask you to be mine, but I pushed it away, thinking that maybe I was just thinking about it because we were watching so many cheesy romance movies. Then flash forward a bit to Frisk's birthday party last month, remember, when we were bowling? Well, I hadn't realized it, but apparently I was staring at you, not in a weird way, or at least I don't think so since you never said anything, but, according to Sans, I was just staring at you, hopelessly in love. He brought up the question, if I was ready to pop the question, and I freaked out, because, well, you know darling, I hate how he can always get into my head. Anyway, well, I was completely in my own head for the rest of the evening, imagining what our future life would be like, and, well, I couldn't see a single negative to having you be my spouse, so I spent the next month planning to ask you to marry me. 

   "And, well, as you know, before I met you, I was a selfish, egotistical, stuck up... I'll stop there, because you know I'll keep going. Anyway, you saw how horrible I was even when I was still with you, and I know I've apologized countless times, but I'm still so sorry for what I put you through. So, with that in mind, when I was thinking about what kind of proposal to do, I wanted to show you that I'm a completely changed robot, show you how much I care for you, and what better way than to ask you for your hand on Valentine's. I wanted to cover up the memories of last year with new ones, happier ones, lovelier ones. I wanted to show you how deeply I care for you, and that I only have eyes for you. Sweetheart, you're my inspiration, my goal to be a better me, and I'm always able to feel like myself around you, feel at peace, completely at ease. I couldn't wait a moment longer, it pained me to even think of the fact that you weren't my spouse. I mean, that being said, we can take as much time as we need before the wedding, but, I just wanted to make sure that you cared for me as much as I care for you, I wanted to know that you wanted me to be your husband, and that you want to spend your life with me."

   There was a long pause before you could say anything, it wasn't silent, but filled with sniffles, because tears were streaming down your cheeks. Wiping your tear filled eyes and wet cheeks, you leaned up and gently placed a kiss to his lips. As you did, you felt a hand cup your cheek, his thumb running gently over your cheek. Once you pulled away, you pressed your forehead to his and a weak giggle escaped your lips. 

 

  “I would love nothing more than to spend an eternity with you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAHAHAHAH 
> 
> Okay so like, I know those poems were completely horrible, but try to argue with me that he wouldn't do that, because he most definitely would. 
> 
> So, as you can see, the fic isn't over, I still have some things planned before it ends, obv including the wedding, so I hope you guys will like where I take the rest of this. 
> 
> Also, I'm surprised I didn't see you guys at Anime Boston, or maybe you saw me and didn't know it was me. I was a killer Burgerpants and Alphys, you guys can see the pics all over my tumblr. 
> 
> Anyway, I really hope you guys liked this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it! 
> 
> ~~~~  
> Hit me up on tumblr at demisexualmettaton.tumblr.com  
> But please, if you can, if you're going to tag or @ me, along with demisexualmettaton, please include koalolive with it, so that when I switch back, I'll still be able to find things with one tag! Also, tag it as 'undertale bookmarks' because thats helpful and what I tag all my stuff as. ALSO, YOU GUYS DON'T NEED TO ASK ME IF YOU CAN DRAW FANART, I WILL OPENLY ACCEPT ALL OF IT!!!
> 
> Thanks for taking the time to read. If you have any general comments, critique, or suggestions, don't hesitate to leave a comment. I would really appreciate suggestions of any kind.


	39. Moving

Waving goodbye to the last patron leaving the library, you shutdown the computer at the front desk, getting ready to close up for the evening. It had only a little over a week since Mettaton had proposed to you, and the two of you had done a pretty good job of keeping it out of the public eye. 

  As you finished writing down your hours, you heard your cellphone vibrate against the surface of the front desk and trotted over to it as you slid your winter coat on. Looking at the caller ID, Mettaton’s face plastered the screen. Giggling softly, you answered it. “Hey Mettaton, what’s up?” you asked as you picked up your backpack and slung it over a shoulder.

  “Honey, please don’t be mad at me.”

  You rose an eyebrow as you made your way over to the front door of the library. “Huh?”

  “Please,  _ please _ , don’t be mad at me.” he begged.

  Reaching a hand over to the knob, you turned it. “Mettaton, what on earth-”

  There was suddenly a flurry of flashes going off in your face and you shielded your eyes with an arm. Voices were trying to ask you things from every direction but the same word kept being repeated each time; engagement.

  “God dammit, Mettaton.” you exhaled.

  “Are you mad at me?” his voice whined from the other end of the line.

  “No no, I kind of expected this, what should I tell these people?” you asked. As you did, you held up your hand, telling the flurry of people to wait a moment. Once they calmed down, you turned around and locked up the door to the library. 

  “Tell them they can find out everything on Friday night, okay?”

  “Alright, I’ll talk to you later, bye bye.”

  “Love you~”

  “Love you, too.” you smiled gently as you hung up your phone. You turned back to the small crowd of people and everyone started talking at once. You pointed to some random person in the group and they cleared their throat as they adjusted their glasses.

  “What can you tell us about the engagement?” 

  “Nothing much really, but you can tune in to Mettaton’s show Friday night for answers.” you replied with a shrug. 

  “But is it true?” Someone else asked. 

  “Yep.”

  They all tried to talk at once again, but you held up a hand in attempts to calm them down, but their questions were ceaseless. A sigh escaped your lips as you gently slipped through them and made your way down the street toward your home. A few of them attempted to follow after you but after a couple hundred feet, they took your hint and dispersed. 

  Once making it home to your apartment, you kicked off your shoes at the door and fished your phone out of your pocket. Once you slid your backpack’s strap off your dominant arm, as well as slid your arm out of the coat, you called Mettaton and held your phone to your ear. You slid your backpack and coat off the other arm as it rung and placed your backpack down on the floor, Mettaton answered as you were walking over to your coat rack.

  “Darling? Where are you?”

  “What do you mean? I’m home.” you replied, confused. 

  “Oh… I thought you were sleeping over here.” he responded, obvious disappointment infused in his words. 

  “Oh, Mettaton, I’m sorry, I’m a little out of it because of the paparazzi thing. But, you can come over here if you want.” you said, the corner of your mouth curling into a sympathetic smile, which he couldn’t see. 

  “Well of course I want to.” he replied, almost scolding. “Leave the key in the same spot for me?” 

  “Of course, but take your time though, oh, and maybe bring me that weird strawberry soda you had me try yesterday.” you replied, walking over to your front door.

  “I thought you said you didn’t like it.”

  “No.” you said, opening your door and putting your key in a potted plant that sat outside your door, on the underside of a specific leaf. “I said it was  _ unnatural,  _ that’s not the same as dislike.”

  “Alright cutie… Well, I may need to make a pit stop then, I drank it all.”

  You shut your door and locked it, walking toward your bed. “Wait, what do you mean you drank all of it? You had six bottles left!”

  “Goodbye sweetheart~” he chanted, then hung up.

  Rolling your eyes, you locked your phone and put a hand on your hip, pondering what to do. Maybe since Mettaton would be taking a bit longer than usual to come over, you’d be able to take a quick bubble bath to de-stress before he came over. 

  Going to the bathroom, you turned the water on, and took one of the bubble bars out from the huge Lush bag sitting by your sink. You hadn’t even made a dent into the products Mettaton had gotten you during the engagement hunt. You stripped and ran your hand under the running water as you held the bubble bar, the tub filling up with suds. Before climbing into the tub, you set your phone on the ground by it, playing some soft music to relax to. Once all set with that, you climbed into the tub, not bothering to shut the bathroom door, and submerged yourself into the mountains of bubbles. A giggle escaped your lips feeling the foamy texture tickle your body and you leaned back, getting comfortable. 

  A while passed and you weren’t sure how long it had been since you got into the bathtub, maybe the amount of time passed between the length of three or four songs. But, before you knew it, you heard a knock against the doorframe. 

  “Honey? Are you-”

  Opening your eyes and looking over, Mettaton stood there, and you were sure if he had the ability to blush, he’d be boiling. You were blushing pretty hard too, but not as much as his fans were going absolutely ballistic. 

  “OH MY GOODNESS DARLING, I’M SO SORRY!” he screeched, proceeding to quickly shut the door. His heels quickly scurried down the hallway toward your living room area.

  You didn’t have a second to react before your phone that sat on the floor by the tub began to vibrate with text notifications. You lifted your hands from the water and dried them off with a hand towel that hung on the wall beside the tub and before you could even fully dry them, a constant stream of vibrations was coming from your phone; Mettaton was calling you. Sighing, you picked up the phone and answered it. 

  “Oh my gosh, darling I’m so so so so so sorry, I didn’t mean to just waltz right in there. Please forgive me.”

  “Mettaton.” You attempted to try to intervene and get his attention, but he just kept rambling. 

  “I mean, I just keep messing up today, it’s just been one big, massive screw up. I don’t know what’s gotten into me.”

  “Hey, Mettaton.”

  “I think you’re right, I think drinking all those sodas might have been a really bad idea, but anyway, I’m so sorry for messing up so much today. I really didn’t-”

  “Mettaton!!” 

  “W-What?” 

  You exhaled. “Just get back in the bathroom.” 

  “Are… Are you sure?” he asked hesitantly. 

  You hung up the phone “Get in here you human sized calculator~”

  A hesitant moment later, Mettaton’s heels could be heard clicking down the hallway. The door opened a bit and the left half of his face peered into the bathroom. “Was that a compliment or an endearing insult?”

  “Take your pick.” you smiled, then beckoned him in with a hand. 

  He paused another moment, but opened the door, walking in and over toward you. “I… I didn’t see anything.” he said, sitting down on the closed toilet seat. 

  “I know, look at me, I’m covered in bubbles.” you replied, gesturing to yourself. 

  A small chuckle escaped his lips and he smiled warmly at you. 

  “So… what happened today?” you asked. 

  “Well, um, I was in the middle of the talk show segment of the show, and I was interviewing Rosie Huntington-Whiteley about her part in Mad Max, and then it kind of led to us talking about her engagement to Jason Statham, and then one thing led to another and I just let it slip. I’m sorry.” 

  Another giggle escaped your lips. “No, Mettaton, it’s fine. I’m honestly surprised you kept it for so long, eight whole days.”

  “What? You don’t think I can keep a secret?” he asked with a pout.

  “Not this one, no. But anyway, what do you mean about Friday?” 

  “Well~ I want you to take off work and come on the show with me to announce our engagement officially.” he smiled. 

  But you were doing anything but smiling. In actuality, you flinched a bit. 

  “What?”

  “Don’t… Don’t you remember the last time we did this?” you asked. 

  “I… oh… right… Darling, either way, won’t there be some type of backlash? Even if we don’t announce this, I think it’ll make it so much harder for us to live our everyday lives, but mostly you, people will be trying to get answers out of you left and right.” 

  “You… you have a point.” you replied, looking down at the bubbles piled in front of you. 

  “So… Will you take off work?”

  “Yeah, I guess I’ll tell Winnie tomorrow. By the way.” you looked up to him, holding up your pruney finger tips. “I think it's time for me to get out, can you bring me some pajamas?” 

  “I think so too.” he agreed with a chuckle and stood up. He left the bathroom and came back a few moments later with a fresh change of clothing for you, then set it down where he was sitting previously on the lid of the toilet. 

  “Thanks.” you smiled. 

  “My pleasure.”

  Once Mettaton left the bathroom and shut the door, you climbed out of the tub and dried off. You let the water drain from the tub as you rubbed the towel against your damp body. After you changed into your fresh clothing, you put the dirty ones into a hamper, then walked out of the bathroom to where your bed was. Sitting there was Mettaton, already set for bed, his charger in his neck, smiling and holding two glass bottles of strawberry soda. 

  “Want one?” he asked in a teasing tone. 

  “Hmmm.” you pondered as you climbed into the bed. “I don’t actually think I’ll drink a whole one right now, can I just have a sip of yours?” you asked.

  “Of course, darling.” he replied, handing one to you as he set the other one on your nightstand. 

  You twisted it open and took a sip, then scrunched up your face feeling the carbonated beverage hit your tongue.

  “Don’t like it?” he asked.

  “No, that’s not it… It’s just… weird.” you said.

  “You’re weird.” he replied. 

  “Good~” you responded, handing the bottle back to him. 

  Mettaton took a sip, then closed the bottle, putting it with the other on the bedside table. The two of you then shifted beneath the blankets and snuggled up to one another, the low hum of Mettaton’s internal fans soothing you to a deeper state of relaxation. 

  “Sweetheart?”

  “Hmm?” you glanced up to him as your head was rested at his chest. 

  “Shouldn’t we… move in together?”

  There was a long pause before you answered him, and even then you didn’t audibly respond. You felt your face catch fire and fully turned to look at him. 

  “Well, sweetheart, what kind of engaged couple doesn’t live together? I mean usually a couple moves in together before they even think about engagement. That’s what I read online at least. Oh dear, we didn’t rush into things, did we?” 

  “Oh, no, Mettaton, I don’t think we did.” you assured him. You got to your knees and crawled up closer to his head, placing a kiss on his lips. “I’m elated at the thought of getting to wake up to your face every day.”

  “Don’t you already do that?” he smiled.

  “Well, not all the time, before you proposed to me it had been a while.” you shrugged. 

  “True, true, darling.” he replied, leaning up and kissing you back. 

  “I’ll let my landlord know I’ll be moving soon.” you said between kisses. 

  He kissed you back and said after pulling away. “Dear, you… you  _ do _ want to live with me right?”

  You kissed him back again to reassure him. “Of course I do.” Then, you shifted yourself so you were straddling his lap. “But, are you sure you don’t wanna move into my place instead?”

  He paused a moment before replying seriously. “You’re kidding, right? Because you know I need more space than this. Dear, my dressing room is practically bigger than your apartment.” 

  “I’m kidding, you dingus~” you chanted, placing a kiss on his nose.

  “D-Dingus?” 

  “An endearing dingus~” you giggled. 

  “Why you~” he laughed, wrapping his arms around your waist and pulling you close to him, showering your face with kisses. 

  Both your giggles filled the apartment as your bodies pressed together and he placed kisses on every square inch of your face. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !!!!   
>  Just   
> look how cute  
> im scream!  
> this was so much fun to write, like, ah, gosh,   
> also  
> Bookmarks only has about 10 chapters left  
> just so yall know  
> but have no fear, ill make em the best chapters   
> (I'll also probably write another fanfic)
> 
> OH! Other News!!! By birthday is this Tuesday! April 12th! I'm gonna be 20!   
> Draw me shit, buy me shit (jk lol, but also im needy and need attention, lol)
> 
> ~~~~  
> Hit me up on tumblr at demisexualmettaton.tumblr.com  
> But please, if you can, if you're going to tag or @ me, along with demisexualmettaton, please include koalolive with it, so that when I switch back, I'll still be able to find things with one tag! Also, tag it as 'undertale bookmarks' because thats helpful and what I tag all my stuff as. ALSO, YOU GUYS DON'T NEED TO ASK ME IF YOU CAN DRAW FANART, I WILL OPENLY ACCEPT ALL OF IT!!!
> 
> Thanks for taking the time to read. If you have any general comments, critique, or suggestions, don't hesitate to leave a comment. I would really appreciate suggestions of any kind.


	40. Interview

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please read the end notes for important information about this fic.

You stood there by the stage, waiting for your cue to walk out and sit on one of the plush seats next to Mettaton’s large table, and you were extremely anxious; both for being on camera, and for the outcome of this announcement. Taking a deep breath, you glanced over to Mettaton, who was currently interviewing model Winnie Harlow. You could handle this, it was just a bunch of really simple and to-the-point questions, how bad could it be? 

  Up until five minutes ago, you had watched the first hour of Mettaton’s show from his dressing room, and each segment he performed flawlessly as he always did. When the show opened, he promoted the newest product additions to the MTT-Brand; a line of sportswear for both monsters and humans, as well as some exercise equiptment and protein supplements. After the promotion and product demonstration, he moved on to reading some fan letters. It was the typical bunch; love declarations, others telling him how much of an inspiration and self confidence booster he was, and the occasional child-written letter. After he read a pile of fan letters, he did his cooking segment, in which he demonstrated how to make a meal suited for these late winter months; butternut squash chicken alfredo. Once he was finished, he picked someone out of the audience (like he always does), to come taste it, and they almost fainted because it was so good. When that segment was said and done, he moved to the interview portion that was currently going on at this very moment. 

  “Well, it was an absolute pleasure having you on my show this evening, dear. I hope you have a wonderful rest of your evening. Everyone, give a big round of applause to the stunning Winnie Harlow!” 

  As the model got to her feet, she waved as she walked offstage through another door. You wished that you had been able to ask her for an autograph or something, but if given the chance, you would probably have made a complete fool of yourself. 

  You watched Mettaton as he spoke to the audience, but you were so focused on watching him, that you couldn’t really hear what he was saying. Swallowing hard, you shook your head and tried to both concentrate and calm down. 

  Feeling a gentle hand squeeze your shoulder, you looked up to the floor manager who was giving you a patient smile. “When he introduces you, just walk right out, okay? Try to smile and wave to the crowd as best you can, and your mic will turn on remotely.” 

  You nodded and glanced down to the mic pinned to your shirt. Looking straight ahead again at Mettaton, he was talking about something and started getting really excited-- that’s when whatever he was talking about finally registered in your head. 

  “Now, beauties and gentlebeauties, for the moment you all have been impatiently waiting for, I’d like to introduce someone who, for some bizarre reason, has yet to be on my show once... my darling fianc é !” he said enthusiastically, gesturing a gloved hand over in your direction. 

  You took one last deep breath and stepped out onstage, waving timidly toward the crowd as everyone started cheering. Looking back over to Mettaton, he had the biggest smile plastered across his lips as he stood up to meet you. Unable to help it, you smiled back at him, suppressing a giggle once you got the full view of the gaudy red suit he loved to wear so much. Once you got to him, he wrapped his arms around you and leaned down, kissing you gently. Feeling your face heat up as the two of you pulled away, you sat down on the plush seat as he took his place back behind his desk. 

  The crowd’s cheering died down once the two of you got situated and both your heart and mind were racing. You were glad that there wasn’t any type of script you had to follow, but were extremely nervous that you were going to embarrass yourself considering Mettaton told you to act like ‘normal’. 

  “So dear, how are you this evening?” he asked, leaning on his elbows. 

  “I’m doing well, just, you know, a little nervous being on… live television.” you admitted, pursing your lips a bit. 

  He chuckled softly. “ Oh honey, there’s nothing to be nervous about, you haven’t even been sitting here for three minutes and you’re doing great.” 

  “Says you, you’re on camera practically 24/7, it comes naturally to you.” 

  “Well, I suppose you’re right.”

  “I know, I often am.” 

  The audience responded with a bit of candid laughter, and it calmed you down a bit, knowing that you weren’t royally fucking up. 

  “Well, sweetie, let’s get down to business shall we? The whole reason why you’re here tonight, to talk about the latest update on our marvelous relationship.”

  You glanced toward the crowd and shrugged a bit. “I mean, what’s there to say? He’s not lying, we’re engaged.” 

  The crowd responded with both laughter and cheer. 

  “Oh my dearest, there is  _ so _ much to talk about! Like how you feel, the whole world wants to know.” he smiled.

  “Well… I…” you looked over to Mettaton and smiled softly. “I really couldn’t be happier. I feel so lucky to be able to have met such an amazing guy like you.”

  “And I feel the same way.” he replied, reaching over and taking your hand that was resting on the arm of the chair.

  The crowd erupted in ‘aww’s’ as the two of you gazed at each other for a few moments. 

  “Now, how about we show off that ring, dear.” he smiled, his visible eye darting down to the hand of yours he was holding. 

  “Oh, right.” you said, pulling your hand from his and holding it up so the camera could get a close up.

  “I bet everyone is begging to find out how much it costs, but too bad, because I’m not telling.” Mettaton said, looking into the camera. 

  “I swear to god, Mettaton, don’t tell me you broke the bank for this ring.” you looked up at him.

  “Darling, I just said I wasn’t telling.” he scolded. 

  A laugh escaped your lips as you put your hand down. 

  “Now dear, I think that the whole world would love to know what the engagement was like. I mean, I know I do.” 

  There was some confused chatter coming from the audience.

  “Oh, right.” you replied. “Mettaton set up a huge scavenger hunt on Valentine’s Day for me, and he was waiting at the end of the whole thing, I still haven’t told him what really happened during the whole day.” For the next 10 or so minutes, you gave a play-by-play of what happened that day, and each thought you had. You didn’t read off the poems or anything, just what each destination had to offer, and you paused before getting to the last part. 

  “Darling, don’t stop, everyone is dying to know how the story ends.” he begged. 

  Glancing over, he was at the edge of his seat, and leaning in closely to you. A giggle escaped your lips. “It was a pause for dramatic effect.” 

  The audience laughed.

  “Okay, so as I was saying. I walked into the library, and no one was there, I mean no one. So automatically I was really confused, you know? It was a Tuesday afternoon, why wouldn’t there be anyone in there? Let alone the fact that no one was even behind the front desk.” you spoke, as if you were talking to a group of friends. Over the course of you telling the story, you were able to get more and more comfortable. 

  “So aside from the fact that no one was in the library, there was something else very odd and out of place. See, hopefully everyone is familiar with libraries to some degree, and you know the carts that hold the books waiting to be put back on the shelves?” you asked rhetorically. “It was sitting in the middle of the room. So I was really confused at this point, but it must have been put there for a reason, so I walk over. And there, sitting on the cart was-” cutting yourself off from looking ahead to the crowd and camera, you look over to Mettaton. 

  “What?”

  “Is it public knowledge how we met? I mean, did you ever tell anyone the specifics? Cause I feel like if they don’t know, they don’t get the whole story.”

  “I’ve mentioned we met at the library.” 

  “Do you wanna tell that part then? How we met? I feel kinda bad, I’ve been doing all the talking.” you said, slinking down in your seat a little.

  “Oh, don’t feel bad, honey. It’s a pleasure listening to you talk.” he reassured you, squeezing your hand a bit. He then looked toward the audience and cameras. “Well beauties, what I thought was an annoying day of having to run errands for my darling friend, Dr. Alphys, turned out to be the best of my life. She sent me to stop at the library while I was on my way to her lab for a quick check-up. Mind all of you, this was the day after my big debut of this lovely body, so she needed to make sure everything was in tip-top condition for me to continue using it.” he said with a wag of his finger. 

  “So, I was very annoyed. All I wanted to do was go for my check-up, but I had to stop at this dusty place full of books. I walk in, but no ones at the front, so out of annoyance I proceed to ring the bell sitting on the desk 13 times, not 12, not 11, exactly 13. So after that I’m shushed by the patrons of the library, but then completely bombarded by fans. Once that mess died down, I turned back over to the desk, and sitting there was this little human, but they didn’t seem interested in me in the slightest, well, to the extent that the other fans of mine were. So we chatted a few moments, or rather, I did the chatting, they just sat there with a face so hot you could toast marshmallows over it.”

  “Hey!” you protested. 

  The crowd laughed as he looked over to you with a playful smirk. 

  “So, they handed me all these books, and it was all anime stuff except for one big book on physics. And well, from then on we just happened to keep meeting. Darling, shall you continue with your story?” 

  You rolled your eyes. “Yeah, yeah. As I was saying before, sitting in the middle of the room was the cart that had a single book on it, and it was that physics book that Mettaton had picked up. At first, I didn’t realize the significance, so I was still as clueless as ever. I open up the front cover and sitting there was another glittery piece of paper, but rather than it being another envelope, it was a bookmark. I thought that maybe he didn’t make it an envelope because it was a book, and why would an envelope be sitting inside a book? I thought he put the next riddle on the back of this little bookmark, but man, was I wrong.” you said with a gentle laugh, looking over to Mettaton.

  “On the back,” you started, still looking at him. “‘Will you marry me?’ was handwritten in script.”

  There was mixed emotions coming from the audience; gasping, cheers, fangirling, even crying. 

  The two of you waited for the crowd to die down and just continued looking at eachother for the few moments. Once the room calmed, you turned back to face the cameras and began speaking again. “So, a moment later, I hear Mettaton clear his throat from behind me and I turn around and he’s just there, down on one knee in this white suit with red and pink accents all over, holding open this ring box. I was just so stunned because I had no idea this was coming, literally. I just thought there was gonna be some type of Valentine’s Day surprise, not a proposal. So I’m just standing there, bawling my eyes out because I still can’t believe it, and I just fall right into his arms and… yeah.” you shrugged. “That’s it.”

  He chuckled from beside you and you glanced over. “Dear, you have no idea how hard it was to keep quiet as I snuck behind you.” 

  The audience laughed in response and you did too. 

  Mettaton looked ahead and to one of the cameras. “Well darlings, it’s been absolutely lovely thus far, but I’m afraid it’s time for a commercial break. So, don’t change that channel, because we’ll be right back after these messages!” 

  Once he finished talking, there was a loud buzz, signaling that they were officially on the commercial break. 

  A long exhale escaped your lips and you felt Mettaton’s hand grab yours again. Looking over to him, he had another bright smile on his face. “Oh my goodness, darling! You’re doing spectacular!”

  “Oh, uh, thank you.” you replied, feeling your face warm as you got to your feet. “I should get going, right?” 

  “What? Oh… hm… No.” 

  “Huh?” you asked, furrowing your brows.

  “Stay and do the news with me.” he smiled, standing up as well. 

  “Mettaton… I’m not qualified to read the news.” 

  “Oh poppycock, you’ll do just fine.” he replied, pushing you ahead of him so the crew could move around the stage, putting a larger desk there. 

  You almost stopped dead in your tracks. “Did you just say… poppycock?”

  “Yes~” he smiled, a star bursting in his eye. 

~~~~

  “Honey, darling, sweetheart, you were an absolute natural out there.” Mettaton complimented as the two of you entered his dressing room. 

  “What? Oh… Really? I dunno about that.” you replied, rubbing your arm a bit. 

  “Well, even if  _ you _ don’t think so, I do.” he smiled, sitting down on the pink loveseat unbuttoning his blazer as he did. He then lifted a finger and beckoned you over.

  “Hm?” you stepped over to him. “What is- ah! H-Hey.”

  Mettaton had grabbed your wrist with one hand and wrapped his other arm around your waist, pulling you down so you were straddling his lap. “I love you, darling.” 

  “I-I love you, too.” you stammered. “B-But what are you doing?” 

  “You tell me.” he smirked, placing his lips to yours. 

  Once he pulled away, you responded. “H-How can I tell you if you’re kissing me?”

  Mettaton chuckled, letting go of the wrist of yours he was holding and held your hand instead, intertwining the fingers. He pulled you even closer to him so your chests were flush against one another. 

  “M-Mettaton, t-this is embarrassing.” you stammered.

  “No it isn’t.” he replied, then leaned over a bit, speaking softly into your ear. “Just an engaged couple sitting together.” 

  A shiver jolted down your spine. “S-Sitting together? I’m straddling you!” 

  “Well that’s on you.” he teased, squeezing your hand a bit. 

  You opened your mouth to object, but let out a gasp instead of words when you felt his lips kiss your neck. Being flush with his chest and him holding you so tightly against him, not only could you hear his internal fans, but you could even feel the slight vibration through the fabric of his shirt. 

  Mettaton pulled his lips from your neck and met your gaze. “You’re lucky I’m wearing matte lipstick, or else your neck would be a mess right now.” 

  You couldn’t help but snicker softly in response. 

  “You’re so attractive when you laugh.” he smiled. 

  You felt your face grow warm but didn’t have a moment to respond before his lips were on yours, kissing you gently. He let go of your hand and brought his up to the back of your head, sliding it through your hair. As you gently kissed him back, you brought your arms up and wrapped them around his neck, a smile pricked your lips as you felt his fans work a bit faster against your chest. As he ran his fingers through your hair gently, you felt his tongue swipe across your lips, and you parted them for him. Your tongue timidly ran against his and you shifted yourself a bit on his lap, causing a soft gasp to come from him. He slid his tongue back against yours as he twirled your hair in his fingers, now eliciting a soft moan from you. You were about to pull from the kiss and teasingly bite his lip when suddenly;

  There was a knock at the door.

  Both you and Mettaton jolted back and you would have fallen backwards off his lap if his hands hadn’t been tangled in your hair. 

  “Just a moment, dear.” Mettaton called out, trying to untangle his fingers. Once he did, you quickly climbed off his lap and he went to the door. Before opening it, you were able to sit down on the couch, quickly smoothing out your hair and straighten your clothes. You then pulled your cellphone out of your pocket and proceeded to pretend like you were using it. 

  You heard the door click open and Mettaton speak to whoever was on the other side of it. “Yes, dear?”

  Glancing up, you saw it was the floor manager holding a clipboard. “Sorry to interrupt you two-”

  “Oh hon, you aren’t interrupting at all! The two of us were just having a friendly little chat about how wonderfully they handled being in the spotlight tonight.” Mettaton looked back to you. “Weren’t they great?”

  The floor manager nodded in response. “I agree, they did act like a natural.”

  You blushed (even more than you already were), and waved a hand dismissively. 

  “Anyway, sir, I wanted to let you know that tonight’s ratings were up 15% and once your fiancè showed up, it bumped up to 32%” 

  Mettaton gasped. “Oh my gosh! That’s marvelous! Thank you so much for telling me, dear!” He then turned to look at you again. “Dear, we  **must** celebrate!”

  “I’ll leave you two alone then.” the floor manager smiled. “Have a good evening, and I’ll see you Monday night, sir.” 

  “Bye now, you have a good night as well.” he waved them off, then shut the door after them. Mettaton then quickly turned back to you, a smirk painted across his face. “Well then, where were we?”

  Your eyes just kind of widened in response, the two of you almost just got caught making out (not that there’s anything wrong with that, just incredibly embarrassing), and he just wanted to get right back into it as quickly as you pulled away. 

  “What are you surprised for, darling?” he asked, strutting over to you. “I just want to celebrate tonight’s rating increase due to your adorable face, by kissing it.” 

  You were speechless, too embarrassed to speak. But even if you could, you wouldn’t have had a moment to before he bent over to your eye level and pressed his lips to yours in a passionate kiss. He gently moved your body and lied you down as he immediately slid his tongue against your lips, climbing over you in the process. Your lips parted for him as you reached an arm up, placing a hand behind his neck as your tongue slid against his. As your tongues danced, you felt one of his hands trail down your waist, and the other slide beneath your head as he intertwined his fingers into your hair once more. You moved your free hand, placing it at his chest as your tongue slid against his. 

  Mettaton then pulled from the kiss, but with a sudden surge of confidence, the hand against his chest, you grabbed the yellow tie that was hanging from his neck. 

  “Where do you think you’re going?” 

  Mettaton’s fans instantly began to pick up speed and volume. “D-Darling, what’s gotten i-into you?” he glitched. 

  You pouted. “Nothing, I just wanted to keep kissing you.” 

  Mettaton just smiled and leaned back down, pressing his mouth to yours once again.

  Even though you had already made out with him countless times, even though you had already done a little more than that, even though you had already agreed to marry him, with each time you kissed, each time you embraced, each time you held hands, each time you touched, you felt sparks ignite and course through your body as if your love was young and new. 

  You loved him. 

~~~~

  It had been about 4 days since you had been a guest on Mettaton’s show and he had been begging you to come back again, since the ratings just went back to normal after you left. You told him you’d think about coming on again sometime in the future, but you had more important things to take care of. Important things like moving. 

  You were currently finishing up all the packing. Most of your stuff was already over at Mettaton’s like your clothes, some of the furniture, and a lot of your personal belongings. What you were doing currently was packing up all of your kitchen appliances to be donated, since you didn’t really need them due to Mettaton’s luxurious kitchen. 

  You felt your phone vibrate on the table and picked it up as you put a pan (that you probably only used once) into a box. You answered the call and placed the phone between your ear and shoulder. “Hey, babe.” 

  “Darling, I- … Did… did you just call me ‘babe’?”

  You giggled a bit. “Yeah, I’m trying out the whole ‘pet name’ thing. Do you like it?” you asked as you taped up the box in front of you. 

  “It’s adorable!” he squealed. “So, darling, I need to pick up some ingredients for dinner at the store and that’ll take me a little while, how much more do you need to pack up?”

  “Well,” you looked around. “I’m about halfway done with the kitchen now, and after that, I just need to pack up the bathroom. Other than that, everything else is either in boxes or too big to fit into one.”

  “Perfect, if it’s not all done by the time I get there, you’re gonna get penalty kisses.”

  “P-Penalty kisses? How is a kiss a penalty?” you asked as you began piling a couple of plates into a box. 

  “They’re going to be wet and slimy.”

  “Ewwww, how do robots even have saliva?” 

  “Beats me, anyway, I’ll see you soon, honey. I’m pulling up to the grocery store now.”

  “Bye.” you smiled, hanging up the phone. After you did, you set it on the counter and began piling a few more plates into the box. 

  After a few minutes, you heard a knock at the door. You knew it was way too early for Mettaton to be showing up, and you  _ had _ been waiting for your landlord all day, so you assumed it was her. 

  “The doors unlocked, come right in!” you called out as you reached up, grabbing a plate from a high shelf. Hearing the door open as you looked over the plate, you began talking again. “Hey, so I know all my stuff isn’t out yet,” you spoke, turning to the door and looking up. “But it’ll be-”

  The person standing there in your doorframe wasn’t your landlord, and out of fear, the plate slipped from your fingertips, shattering against the linoleum tile of the kitchen floor.

  “Hey, how’s it going?” he smirked. 

  “Hey…

 

                                                           “Jarred…”   

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ha, ya'll thought i was dead.  
> I ain't dead,  
> So finals killed my motivation and I bet that all of you assumed I have been writing this chapter since I last updated, but man are you wrong, I wrote this thing in like 3 days. It's just been a really bad end of the semester for me.
> 
> Anyway, so yeah, you guys thought you saw the last of Jarred, nah, we're getting more. 
> 
> ~~IMPORTANT INFORMATION~~  
> I know it has been about a month since my last update, but I am unsure if I will be able to update Bookmarks between the dates of May 15th to June 13th due to the fact that I will be studying abroad in Japan. There is a chance that I'll get free time to write more, considering I will be on a 16 hour flight with nothing to do but sleep, draw, and write. SO, I may still update, who knows!!
> 
> So yeah, I'll be in Japan for a month, lmao
> 
> ~~~~  
> Hit me up on tumblr at demisexualmettaton.tumblr.com  
> But please, if you can, if you're going to tag or @ me, along with demisexualmettaton, please include koalolive with it, so that when I switch back, I'll still be able to find things with one tag! Also, tag it as 'undertale bookmarks' because thats helpful and what I tag all my stuff as. ALSO, YOU GUYS DON'T NEED TO ASK ME IF YOU CAN DRAW FANART, I WILL OPENLY ACCEPT ALL OF IT!!!
> 
> Thanks for taking the time to read. If you have any general comments, critique, or suggestions, don't hesitate to leave a comment. I would really appreciate suggestions of any kind.


	41. Hazel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warning: Very manipulative behaviors in this chapter

Making your way up the third flight of stairs of your college’s main building, you checked your phone for the screenshot you had taken of your schedule, making sure (a third time) that you were headed to the right room. “Okay… 304,” you muttered under your breath. 

  Once reaching the top of the stairs, you made your way down the hall to the classroom’s open door and walking inside you saw that there were already some people there. Yeah, you were a bit early, but considering it was the first day of the semester (as well as the first of your sophomore year), it made sense that people were already in the classroom 15 minutes early. 

  The room was longer than it was wide, and computers bordered three sides of it. In the center was a long table where the few other students were seated, but you didn’t recognize any of them. One of your friends said he was taking this class, so hopefully he’d show up soon. 

  You stepped over to the table, sitting a few chairs away from where the other students were seated, and pulled out your sketchbook, opening to a fresh page. After putting down a few pencil marks, you heard footsteps enter the room and your eyes glanced up to the doorway. You didn’t intend to, but your eyes met the person’s gaze who walked in. 

  They didn’t pull their eyes away from yours instantly, but only after a moment-- to glance around the room. You looked back down to your sketchbook and contemplated on what to doodle, but your thoughts were interrupted by a hand’s knuckles gently rapping against the wood of the table. Glancing up to beside you, your eyes locked with the pair from a moment ago. 

  “Mind if I sit here?” they asked, pointing to the empty seat. 

  There were plenty of open seats around, away from you, so you weren’t sure why they wanted to sit directly beside you. “Oh, uh, no.” you answered. “Go ahead.”

  The sound of plastic wheels rolled along the floor as they pulled the chair out. Your eyes followed them as they sat, quietly examining them. They were of pale complexion, their hazel eyes hid behind thick rimmed glasses, and thin eyebrows poked out from above their frames. They had a thin, concave nose with a tip that ended in a sharp point, and their lips were thin, the corners curled up into a smirk, what which could have been their resting position, or that they were smiling. They had a rounded face with a very soft jawline and a chin that didn’t really jut out. Lastly, their dark hair was styled into a sleek undercut, probably freshly shaved due to it being the new school year. 

  They pulled you back to reality as they held a soft, very slender hand out to you, along with the noise of clearing their throat. “Jarred.” 

  You glanced back up and met their gaze as you took their hand, shaking it as you introduced yourself. 

  “Nice to meet you.” they smiled, letting go of your hand. 

  With a nod, you opened your mouth to speak again but heard your name being called. Glancing over to the door, your friend Aaron was sauntering in, smiling wide. “Looks like you already met Jarred!”

  You glanced between the both of them as he took the empty seat on the other side of you, and you furrowed your brow. “You two know each other?”

  “Aaron and I live on the same floor.” Jarred spoke. “He helped me figure out how to install the cable in the dorms; I was having a real problem yesterday.”

  A snicker came from Aaron. “Yeah, this dude is not tech savvy at  _ all. _ He was trying so damn hard to plug everything into the same area, that he almost blew a fuse for the whole floor.”

  “It’s true.” Jarred confirmed with a laugh. 

  You glanced back to Aaron. “Is this why you were late to meet up at Gusto’s yesterday?” 

  He nodded. “His fault.” 

  Following Aaron’s finger, you glanced over to Jarred who was giving you an apologetic smile. 

  He continued speaking as you were looking at Jarred. “Speaking of Gusto’s, I invited Jarred to come hang with our squad, since he’s a loser and has no friends.” 

  His jaw dropped. “Wha...?”

  Aaron chuckled. “I’m teasin’ dude. But really though, Jarred is a little lacking in the friends department, not ‘cause he’s a loser, but he just transferred.”

  The three of you continued your conversation for a little while longer until the professor came in and started class. 

 

  In the following few weeks, Jarred had completely immersed himself into your small squad. All of you would hang out practically every day doing whatever, from watching terrible television shows in the student lounge, to playing video games till three in the morning when half of you had classes at 8:30.

  Within those few short weeks, you found yourself having a bit of a crush on Jarred. He was charming, a very smooth talker, always had something to say-- and, not to mention, he was a pretty cute guy. But that was all on the surface, and at the time you were completely unaware of the treacherous waters beneath. 

  It all kind of started with Jarred asking for small favors from you. For example, he would ask to borrow things, small things, like pencils for class and hair ties. It slowly escalated over time to him asking to borrow a bit of money; not a lot, only so he could buy a soda or some lunch. This was about two months into your friendship, and right around this time, was when you were planning to confess to him, tell him that you liked him, but you were too nervous, too worried that he would outright reject you. But that was when he started dating one of your classmates. You were completely heartbroken. You were so sure that he liked you back. Yeah, he had a pretty flirtatious personality, but out of anyone, you were so sure that he was flirting with you the most. And yet, he was dating someone else, that is, until two weeks later. He had broken it off with them and you were sure that you could ask him out now, and yet, you never did. 

  Time continued on and every month or so, Jarred would have a new fling, but it never really changed how he acted around you. He would continue to be suave and charming, playfully flirt with you, but at least that way you could pass it off as platonic if anyone asked about it. After about eight or nine months of this, things began to change, but you never noticed. Jarred had you wrapped so tightly around his finger that you would do practically anything for him at the drop of a hat. From things like him asking you to grab stuff from across the room, to wanting to borrow money in lumps of upwards of $50 (which you never asked him to pay back), to helping him finish his animation finals, to actually spending so much time with him at one point that you failed a class. 

  You were so infatuated with him, fallen so deep, that the things you originally found so charming and endearing, were actually not great qualities to have. Your mind distorted and twisted his faults into seemingly acceptable quirks. He would talk out, speak his mind, or that’s what you thought. In reality, he was just speaking out of turn, talking over people, making it seem like he knew everything about everything, when in actuality he was just talking out of his own ass; but naturally, you believed him. 

  It wasn’t until around senior year that you sort of became aware of what was going on. It was Aaron that pointed it out, he tried to convince you that Jarred was using you, manipulating you to get whatever he wanted and sail through life more smoothly. At first you denied everything, not believing for a second that he could do such a thing, but after Aaron pointed it out, you began to notice little things. 

  You started to notice that whenever the two of you would talk, the majority of the conversation would be about him. You’d ask him about what was going on, and he would talk on and on about what was going on with his life. He’d ask you, but wouldn’t let you get more than a few sentences out before he turned the conversation around and made the whole thing about him again. 

  A few weeks passed and you began to comment on the little things, things like you buying him lunch practically every day of the week. Considering there was a little less than 8 months before you were to graduate, you needed to save up as much money as you could so you could move into an apartment, so you decided to tell him that you wouldn’t be able to buy him lunch as often as you did. He was outraged. As soon as the words escaped your lips, he stared at you a moment, then tried to laugh it off as if you were joking, but when you told him you were serious is when he acted up. He snapped at you, rose his voice at you in the middle of a restaurant, saying things like ‘dude, you’re my friend, friends help each other out’ and ‘you’re being so selfish right now, what the fuck’.’

  You were taken aback by this response, it hit you like a brick to the face. Never before then had he ever snapped at you like that, so you went to get up, leave, but he grabbed your wrist, apologizing, so you sat back down. Yet, after that, the conversation faded-- he was short with you, blunt, made it seem like you were the bad guy. After that, the conversation ended all together and you decided to leave it at that. But, that wasn’t the end of it; a few days later he came to your dorm to apologize, bringing you little gifts, and ultimately, and unfortunately, you believed his apology. 

  This continued on until graduation, the same things happening over and over again for the next year. The first stage was when you would try to convince yourself that being friends with a guy like him was bad, that you needed to break off the friendship because there was literally no possible scenario of the two of you being together. The second stage was when you threw all your common sense out the window upon seeing him, overtaken by his charming personality. Lastly, he’d be nice, then mean, then apologize; basically the textbook signs of an abusive relationship, only the two of you weren’t dating. That’s what people never talk about. In high school they teach you about abusive relationships and the telltale signs to look out for when dating someone, but they never tell you that this can happen with your own friends. Then, the cycle would start all over again and you’d fall for it every time.

  Once graduation rolled around, Jarred moved away without a word. He said goodbye, and that he would make sure to keep in touch with everyone, that he would come visit; but that didn’t happen. Not a text, a phone call, email, nothing. You tried to contact him, your friends tried to contact him, nothing. Not hearing from him, you were devastated, like a punch right to the gut. It took you a long time to get over him... a really,  _ really _ long time. For practically two whole years, in the back of your mind you hoped he would call, but finally, you realized what he had done. Almost five years it took you, but you finally realized that he abused you; he was your abuser. 

  
  So now, there you stood; broken pieces of glass on your kitchen floor, your hands shaking, trying to keep your whole body from trembling, as your eyes were locked with the a set of hazel irises. Your mouth was dry, you wanted to tell him to turn around and leave, but you just couldn’t get your mouth to form the words. You took a staggering breath and opened your mouth to speak, but not before the door clicked shut behind him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope this chapter made sense and was able to shed some light onto the situation. 
> 
> So if you didn't understand, this was a flashback chapter to when reader first met Jarred back in college, and kind of an explanation of how he treated them, how they became the kind of person they are today due to what he had done to them. Also a bunch of people asked me about reader's past, so here ya go!
> 
> If you have any type of questions, please don't hesitate to contact me on tumblr or in the comments or whatever (but tumblr is preferred) 
> 
> Sorry it's taken so long to post this, it was both because of japan, but also writing this kind of stuff makes me a bit #uncomf 
> 
> ~~~~  
> Hit me up on tumblr at demisexualmettaton.tumblr.com  
> But please, if you can, if you're going to tag or @ me, along with demisexualmettaton, please include koalolive with it, so that when I switch back, I'll still be able to find things with one tag! Also, tag it as 'undertale bookmarks' because thats helpful and what I tag all my stuff as. ALSO, YOU GUYS DON'T NEED TO ASK ME IF YOU CAN DRAW FANART, I WILL OPENLY ACCEPT ALL OF IT!!!
> 
> Thanks for taking the time to read. If you have any general comments, critique, or suggestions, don't hesitate to leave a comment. I would really appreciate suggestions of any kind.


	42. Blindsided

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Extremely manipulative behavior

  “Aw, what's with that face? Aren't you happy to see me? Or are you really that ungrateful?” he asked, taking a few steps into the apartment.

  Your eyes followed him, watching him as he walked, dragging his hand along the top of one of the sealed boxes. “Jarred, get… get out of my apartment.” you choked. 

  “What? I just got here.” he frowned. “You’re not going to be so rude to someone you just invited in, are you?”

  “I… I thought you were someone else.” you replied, averting your eyes, looking at the shards of glass around your feet.

  “As in your soon-to-be ex-fianc é ?” 

  “What?” You shot your head up, seeing he was leaning over your countertop, his chin resting on his fist, a smirk painted upon his lips. 

  Jarred adjusted his glasses. “I mean there are countless reasons why the two of you aren’t going to last.”

  “Jarred, I-I don’t want to hear it, j-just get out.” you stammered, looking back down to the floor. You took a deep breath, you knew he was trying to just get under your skin. As to why he was doing this was still a mystery to you.

  He chuckled, pulling you from your thoughts. “C’mon, he doesn’t even love you. I mean, are you telling me a fucking robot is capable of love or whatever the fuck? He’s full of programing and shit! He’s not capable of love, and don’t even give me that ‘he’s made of magic’ shit, because none of that bull actually exists.”

  As you were listening to his words and how uninformed he was about monster kind, you bent down and began to pick up the larger pieces of glass. 

  “He’s probably only marrying you so he can get humans to like him more.”

  You rolled your eyes-- this guy had no idea what he was talking about.

  “Do you even know how different the two of you are? This guy is a celebrity, a superstar. And you? You’re just a normal, ordinary human. There’s nothing special about you. Yeah, you might have your little art degree and that cute little face of yours, but you think you can keep up with him? You think you can even measure up to the type of people he’s used to being around with that lavish lifestyle of his?” 

  “I don’t need to measure up, he likes me for me.” you replied, pulling out a dustpan and brush that was conveniently in the cupboard beside where the plate had broken.

  He ignored your comment and just continued talking. “But let’s just say he  _ could _ love someone, what makes you think he actually loves  **you** ? You’re just some kid who happened to be at some place at the right time. He’s probably been stringing you along this whole time, seeing how far he can get you to believe he would actually care about you.”

  As you finished sweeping up the rest of the glass, under your breath, you muttered. “What, like you did?”

  “What was that?” he snapped.

  You stood up and set the dustpan on the counter. “Nothing.” 

  “No.” he stepped around the counter quickly, and in impulse, you took a step back, backing yourself into a corner. “What did you just say?” His voice was hoarse and threatening. 

  Swallowing dryly, you opened your mouth to speak but were unable to produce your voice. 

  “ _ Tch _ , that’s what I thought.” 

  You hoped he would step back, but he only took a step closer, his body pressed almost flush to yours. “I bet you anything, you’ll move in, and you’ll see how horrible the two of you are for each other and the wedding will be called off in a week. The only thing you’ll be thinking is ‘wow, Jarred was right! I can’t believe I didn’t listen to him, oh where did I go wrong?’ and guess who’ll be waiting right here with a big fat I-told-you-so?”

  Clenching your teeth tightly, you rose a hand, ready to slap him full across the face, but he was quick, and his hand swiftly snatched your wrist before you could. 

  In a low, throaty voice, he responded. “Oh honey, you don’t want to do that... oh, well actually; you should watch your step from now on, because if you don’t, Mettaton might happen to find out about what happened at our college graduation.”

  Your brows furrowed in confusion, what was he trying to get at?

  “Heh, you really are an idiot.” he then leaned down, his eyes level with yours, his face a mere few centimeters away. “Don’t you remember?”

 

  “You and I slept together.”

~~~

  “Darling?”

  Glancing over to Mettaton, who was seated beside you on the couch, wore a muddled expression.

  “I’ve been trying to get your attention for the last few moments now. Is something wrong? You’ve barely touched your food. Do you not like it?” he frowned.

  Looking down, the bowl of pasta sitting on your lap was barely touched. Your eyes darted back to him, cracking a half smile. “Sorry, I guess just… finally living with you is giving me the jitters or something like that.”

  “I didn’t know that happened to humans, so excited that you lose your appetite.” 

  You gave a weak laugh. “Yeah...” 

  “Well, dear, let me put the leftovers away, alright?” he said, holding his hand out to you to take your bowl. 

  You set it in his hand as he got to his feet. 

  “While I do that, do you want to pick out a movie for us?” he smiled.

  “Oh uh…” you paused a moment. “I’m actually going to take a quick shower, I feel kinda sweaty from the move today.”

  With a gingerly smile, he nodded. “Of course~ Go clean up.” 

  Getting to your feet, you headed to the master bathroom, locked the door behind you and pressed your back up against it. Taking a deep, staggering breath, you brought your hand to your chest. The events of earlier that day kept replaying in your mind, over, and over, and over again. 

  Jarred, out of nowhere, said that you and he slept together at graduation. Before you even had a moment to respond to that absurd notion, he told you he had to get going, but that he would be back to talk soon. But, before walking out the door, in a very threatening tone he warned you, telling you not to say anything to Mettaton about him showing up, as well as graduation, or there would be consequences. 

  No way in hell that was true, it just couldn’t be… Yeah, your memories from back then might be a little fuzzy, but you were 100% certain that nothing happened… right? You remember that the night after graduation, your whole little squad went out for celebratory drinks, and after that you went home… right? Or… was it possible you could have gone home… with Jarred? No no no no no. No, that didn’t add up, that wasn’t possible… 

 

...or was it? 

 

  Turning the water on to the shower, you took some deep breaths. No, he was just making up all of that to get under your skin, they were all lies, none of that was true. 

  Undressing and stepping into the stream of hot water, you took another deep breath, but were taken over by the overwhelming urge to cry. Covering your mouth with your hand, you sobbed quietly. What if it  _ was _ true? What if that really happened? You suddenly felt gross, you felt disgusting, you felt as if that really  _ did _ happen, Mettaton would throw you to the curb. It may have been a bit irrational to be thinking something like that, but it’s what your mind was telling you. You tried to tell yourself that even if you had done…  _ that _ with Jarred, that there was no way Mettaton would love you any less. 

  Once you finished with your shower, you wrapped a towel around yourself and suddenly remembered that you still hadn’t unpacked any of your clothes yet. Tightening the towel around your body, you unlocked the door and peered your head out to see if Mettaton was in the bedroom the two of you now shared; he was, sitting cross legged on the bed and waiting for you. 

  “Hello, sweetheart. Have a nice shower?”

  You nodded, still hiding behind the door. “Um, can I borrow some clothes? I don’t know what is in which boxes.” Raising a finger, you pointed over to the couple stacks of boxes set off to the side which held your clothes. 

  “Oh of course dear.” he smiled, rising to his feet and heading over to his closet. 

  You waited, leaning against the doorframe of the bathroom. When he came back, he looked at you, quizzically. 

  “What?” you asked.

  “Why are you still standing in the doorframe, dear? Is the heat not set high enough?”

  You obviously couldn’t tell Mettaton what was going on, that you felt disgusting in your own skin, that no matter how hard you had just scrubbed yourself in the shower, you still felt dirty. Mettaton, being your boyfriend, had already seen you in various states of undress, but never completely nude, so you just used that as an excuse. 

  “I-I’m not changing in front of you.” 

  A low chuckle escaped his lips. “Oh of course, honey, I know that. I was going to step out for you, I just waited for you in here because I wanted to ask you what you wanted to do for our first night officially living together.” 

  “Oh.” Heat rose to your cheeks. “I’m fine with anything.”

  Mettaton reached over with a free hand, placing it on your damp shoulder, but almost as if it were an involuntary reaction, your flinched away from his touch. He paused, his visible eye darting between your face and shoulder. “...Dear?” you couldn’t read his expression. 

  You let out a weak chuckle. “Haha, sorry, your hand is a little cold. Thank you for the clothes, I’m just gonna change in here.” Quickly, you took the clothes from him and swiftly shut the door. Your heart raced, feeling the fast pulse against your eardrums. Why was this getting to you? Why did anything said from Jarred’s mouth even matter to you? Why does he keep coming back and playing with your emotions as if you were some type of toy? Why?

~~~

  Unfortunately, the day after you moved in with Mettaton, he had to head out to California for a couple days for some type of business meeting, but fortunately for you, he wasn’t around to see how on edge you were. 

  Because of what Jarred said to you, you couldn’t eat right, sleep well, or even concentrate very much at all; it was driving you mad. 

  On the day of his return, you decided that you were going to tell Mettaton what was going on, tell him what happened. Even if Jarred had threatened you, how was he going to know that you did? 

  A knock at the door pulled you from your thoughts, and trotting over to the door, you peered out the peephole of the door. Your blood ran cold. 

  “What, not gonna let me inside? I just heard your feet reach the door.” he said with a smirk, peering right through the hole back at you. 

  Swallowing hard before you spoke, you responded. “Go away, Jarred.”

  He said your name slowly, in the way that used to make you melt, in the way that used to make you feel like you were being gently wrapped up in silk. Only now, you felt like you were suffocating, like you couldn’t breathe, like he was choking you with the very silk that used to envelop you so tenderly. “I came to apologize.” 

  “Not accepted, now leave.” you replied quickly. 

  “Please,” he pleaded. “Please let me just say I’m sorry, what I said the other day was out of line.” 

  “You can tell me through the door.” 

  “But, how will I know if you’ll genuinely accept my apology if I can’t tell you how sorry I am to your face?” he frowned. 

  A sigh escaped your lips. If he really did find out where you lived to apologize, then you decided you might as well humor him. Unlocking the door, you opened it about six or eight inches. Peering up to his face, his solemn expression from a moment ago was replaced with a wicked smirk. 

  “Once again, how much of an idiot you are fucking astounds me.” 

  Before you had a moment to react, he pushed the door open and it hit the doorstopper with a bit of force, causing a loud thunk. Taking a step backwards too quickly, your socks slid on the hardwood flooring and you fell backwards. When the door bounced back from hitting the stop, Jarred grabbed, it closing it behind him with another slight bang. You cowered in fear, trembling, unable to move from your spot on the ground, peering up at the towering figure above you. 

  “Aw, what’s wrong?” he asked gently, kneeling down beside you, his tone and demeanor taking a complete 180. “I just came here to talk.”

  “Y-You call forcing yourself into my apartment and-”

  “Who said anything about force? You willingly just let me in.” 

  No, you weren’t going to let him mess with your head again, you knew for a fact that he just pushed himself into your apartment. 

  “Maybe the lack of sleep and nutrition is getting to you.” 

  “H-How did you-”

  “Oh please. Obviously what I said to you the other day has been playing on your mind over and over. You can’t eat, sleep, do much of anything really. But I mean, not doing anything isn’t really much of a change, since you’re so useless and all.”

  Swallowing hard, you stayed silent. 

  “Come back to California with me.”

  “...What?”

  “We could leave right now, I have the plane tickets.” he said, swiftly pulling two from his pocket. “I know that after our heated night of passion after graduation, I left so suddenly, and I know I broke your heart, but don’t you ever wonder about what we could have been?” 

  “T-That didn’t happen.” you stammered.

  “Oh, poor thing.” he brought a hand up to your face, stroking it with a finger. “I broke your heart so badly that you’re blocking away the memories.”

  You flinched. “N-No-”

  He stroked again, continuously. “You know that it would've been great. The two of us, living and working together? It can  _ still _ happen! We can live happily ever after! Cooking, cleaning, working, living, not to mention after all these years you’ll be able to experience the best sex you’ve ever had, on the regular. All you need to do is just take this ticket.” he said, wagging the pair strips of paper in front of your face.

  “No, J-Jarred-”

  “Then maybe this will change your mind.” he suddenly moved the hand that had been stroking your cheek and brought it to behind your head, pulling you close to him, his lips forcefully meeting yours. 

  Tears pricked your eyes and you quickly brought your hands to his chest, trying to push him from you, but he was stronger than you. 

  Suddenly, there was a loud thunk from behind Jarred and he quickly pulled away to turn to the source of the noise. 

  Mettaton stood there in the frame, he had dropped the suitcase he was carrying, and his other hand had clenched so tightly around the door handle, that it was literally crushed in his hand.

  Your eyes locked with his, and as tears pearled down your cheeks, in a whimpur no louder than a whisper, you spoke. “Help.”

  Mettaton’s eye quickly changed to a deep shade of red and you heard the static pops coming from his chest. 

  Jarred tried to quickly scramble to his feet, but within the blink of an eye, Mettaton was holding Jarred up by the collar of his jacket, with one hand. 

  Through gritted teeth, Mettaton spoke.

  
  “Who do you think you are?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking so long
> 
> Can people please not comment and complain about the lack of updates? I've had a rough summer. I'm trying my best.   
> I'm about to start school in a couple of weeks so I'm not sure when the next update will be, but please be patient, i'm trying my best. 
> 
> Aside from the rough summer, this chapter was very hard to right due to it's manipulative behavior. 
> 
> I wanted to show my readers how serious it is to be manipulated and how dangerous it can be.
> 
> If you're experiencing anything like this, I urge you to seek help, please. 
> 
> I still love all of my readers very much, and I love this fic, I'm sorry I'm not updating as frequently as I did when i first started it.


	43. Indefinite Hiatus

Hey ya'll, it's been a while, hasn't it...

I'm sorry to say, but Bookmarks is going on an indefinite hiatus. 

There are several reasons as to why and I feel like I should share them. 

The minor reason is mainly that I've moved on and not all that into undertale anymore, but because of a couple reasons. Yes time has passed and of course after time it was inevitable that I was going to fall out of the fandom, as it happens, but there's another reason and I'm getting to that. 

The main reason for this is because I am uncomfortable.

See, I met my ex through this fanfic, we dated, and it ended badly. Because I met her through this fanfic, I associated her with Mettaton (she also cosplayed him but that's besides the point, or maybe not, idk) but because of how badly things turned out, and that I associate her with Mettaton, whenever I attempt to write this, all I can think about is the past and it makes me very VERY uncomfortable. 

So, I don't want to say that I'll never update this again, I just want to let those who are still holding out, know that it's going to take a while, possibly a long while.

As for a life update, I'm doing okay, I'm trying to live my life one day at a time and healing slowly. It's taking a while but I'm doing alright. 

So, even if I don't update for a very long time, I hope one day I'll be able to write this again, because I miss it, I really do. 

Thank you,   
~Aero


End file.
